Inday now a typhoon, may enhance southwest monsoon

PHOTO FROM PAGASA

MANILA, Philippines – “Inday” (international name: Muifa) has now been upgraded from a severe tropical storm to a typhoon, and it may enhance the southwest monsoon or “habagat,” said state meteorologists on Saturday.

While it is not expected to have a direct impact on the country, Typhoon Inday’s trough will bring heavy rain showers over the eastern section of southern Luzon and the western portion of central Luzon, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

READ: STS Inday’s trough brings cloudy skies, rain as it approaches Batanes

Typhoon Inday was located 445 kilometers east of Itbayat, Batanes, with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour and gustiness of 150 kilometers per hour, said Pagasa. It is now moving northwest at 15 kilometers per hour.

Pagasa also said that the southwest monsoon is currently affecting the western portion of southern Luzon and Visayas, which will bring overcast skies with scattered rains.

The state weather bureau said that they are not likely to raise any Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals, and Typhoon Inday is unlikely to directly impact any part of the country.

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