MANILA, Philippines — Batanes is currently experiencing “damaging gale-to storm-force winds” while Babuyan Islands is experiencing “strong breeze to near-gale conditions” due to severe tropical storm “Siony,” the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Friday.
According to the severe weather bulletin issued by Pagasa at 2 p.m., Batanes remains under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 2 while Babuyan is now only under TCWS No. 1.
“Areas under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal #2 are currently experiencing damaging gale- to storm-force winds, while those under TCWS #1 are currently experiencing strong breeze to near gale conditions,” Pagasa said.
Pagasa said “the passage of ’Siony’ will bring light to moderate with at times heavy rains over Batanes and Babuyan Islands.”
“Flooding (including flashfloods) and rain-induced landslides may occur during heavy or prolonged rainfall especially in areas identified in geohazard maps as highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards,” the weather bureau added.
According to Pagasa, the weather disturbance is forecast to move west-northwestward and pass over the sea off the southern coast of Taiwan within 12 hours.
Siony is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) Friday night. Afterwards, it will turn southwestward Saturday morning over the sea to the southwest of Taiwan and move over the West Philippine Sea.
At 1 p.m., the center of Siony was spotted 95 kilometers northwest of Itbayat, Batanes. It is moving west-northwest at 20 kilometers per hour, and has maximum sustained winds of 95 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 115 kph.
Pagasa said that the tropical cyclone is forecast to maintain its strength in the next 12 hours, then will significantly weaken due to “increasingly unfavorable conditions associated with a surge of the northeasterlies” over the West Philippine Sea. It may then be downgraded to a low pressure area on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, a low pressure area outside PAR was last spotted 1,075 east of Mindanao. It is forecast to move generally west-northwestward or northwestward and may enter PAR this Friday afternoon.
Pagasa said the LPA is heading towards the direction of Eastern Visayas and may likely reach the area Saturday afternoon or evening. This weather disturbance may develop into a tropical depression within the next 48 hours and will be named “Tonyo.”