Auring seen to weaken before landfall near Caraga

Tropical Storm “Auring” (international name: Dujuan) is likely to weaken and be downgraded to a tropical depression before making landfall near the Caraga region on Sunday evening or early Monday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Auring was forecast to further weaken as it traverses the Visayas and Mimaropa due to contact with land masses and interaction with vertical wind shear.

As of 4 p.m. on Saturday, Auring was 440 kilometers east-southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. It is moving northwest and is expected to make landfall over Dinagat-Homonhon-Leyte area on Sunday evening or early Monday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said more than 1,200 families from the Caraga region had been evacuated.

Mark Timbal, spokesperson for the NDRRMC, said people evacuating to safer grounds should observe health measures, such as wearing masks and physical distancing.

“We are also calling on our countrymen to make sure that before they leave their homes, if they are asked to evacuate, they should wear their masks and ensure physical distancing even in evacuation centers so that they would not get sick,” Timbal said at an online briefing.

Auring’s winds on Saturday afternoon weakened to 65 kilometers per hour near the center and its gusts of up to 80 kph.

Weather specialist Raymond Ordinario added that Auring was expected to further diminish into a low pressure area on Monday due to the vertical wind shear.

But Pagasa said Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Eastern Visayas should brace for moderate to heavy rain on Sunday. Northern Mindanao, Bicol Region, Mimaropa, Quezon province and the rest of the Visayas and Caraga are predicted to experience light to moderate rain.

Pagasa warned of scattered to widespread flooding and landslides brought by heavy rainfall or continuous rain.

The weather service likewise warned of strong to gale-force winds in northeastern Mindanao, the Visayas, Bicol Region, Calabarzon and parts of Mimaropa due to the combined effects of Auring and the northeast monsoon or “amihan.”

Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora and the southern part of Luzon are also forecast to experience light to moderate rain due to the effects of Auring and the shear line. —With a report from Leila B. Salaverria