MANILA, Philippines — Tropical Depression Ofel may weaken into a low pressure area in the next 12 to 24 hours, state meteorologists from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on Thursday morning.
According to Pagasa, there is a chance that Ofel will weaken, instead of intensifying into a tropical storm by the time it reaches the West Philippine Sea. As of 4:00 a.m., Ofel was last seen over the coastal waters of Lubang in Occidental Mindoro.
It still packs maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour (kph), and gustiness of 55 kph as it moves in a west northwestward pattern at a speed of 20 kph.
As of now, Metro Manila and the following areas remain under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1:
- Batangas
- Laguna
- Cavite
- Rizal
- The northern and central portions of Quezon (Real, Mauban, Sampaloc, Tayabas City, Pagbilao, Lucban, Lucena City, Sariaya, Candelaria, Tiaong, Dolores, San Antonio, General Nakar, Infanta)
- Bataan
- The northern portion of Occidental Mindoro (Mamburao, Abra de Ilog, Paluan, Santa Cruz)
- The northern portion of Oriental Mindoro (Puerto Galera, San Teodoro, Baco, Naujan, Naujan Lake, Victoria, Calapan City)
Due to Ofel, light to moderate with sometimes heavy rains may still prevail over Cagayan Valley’s mainland, Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Luzon, while same conditions may be felt in Occidental Mindoro and Palawan including Calamian, Cuyo, and Kalayaan Islands this time due to the southwest monsoon.
This means flash floods and landslides are still possible, with Pagasa urging residents to continue monitoring weather updates. Gale warnings are still raised over the northern seaboards of Luzon and Aurora as waves may reach to as high as 2.5 meters to 4.5 meters.
Pagasa’s 24 hour forecasts predict that Ofel may be 770 kilometers west of Iba, Zambales on Friday morning, which is already outside the Philippine area of responsibility.
