MANILA, Philippines — Tropical Depression Ofel made another landfall over San Jose, Batangas, as it moved in a west-northwest early Thursday morning.
According to the latest severe weather bulletin by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), this was the fifth time Ofel hit land. Its first landfall was at Can-Avid, Eastern Samar at 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Ofel maintained its strength, with maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 55 kph. As of 1:00 a.m. on Thursday, it was last seen in the vicinity of Lobo town in Batangas.
Hours from its last bulletin, Pagasa said Ofel would likely make its way to the West Philippine Sea, leaving the Philippine area of responsibility between morning and afternoon of Friday.
Ofel is expected to remain a tropical depression in the next 24 hours, but PAGASA said it might intensify while moving over the West Philippine Sea.
As of this writing, only Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, and Marinduque remained under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1.
Meanwhile, moderate to heavy rains were expected over Aurora, Bulacan, and the northern portion of Quezon, while light to moderate and sometimes heavy rains were expected over Metro Manila, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Benguet, Pangasinan, the rest of Central Luzon, the rest of Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Sulu Archipelago.
Pagasa warned that flash floods and landslides are still imminent in low-lying areas and those near mountain slopes, especially during heavy or prolonged rain showers.
Residents are urged to continue monitoring weather updates and coordinate with local governments’ Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices.
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