Pagasa: Obet nears Northern Luzon; brace for wet, cloudy Friday

MANILA, Philippines –  The eye of Tropical Depression Obet is forecast to pass over extreme Northern Luzon on Friday afternoon or evening, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in its morning advisory.

The state weather bureau, however, said that due to Obet’s wide radius, parts of Northern Luzon might already experience the tropical depression’s rain and winds by Friday morning.    

“Obet’s track will pass over or be very close to Batanes and Babuyan Islands this afternoon or evening. Obet’s radius or entire diameter is almost 500 kilometers. So by this morning or afternoon, wind and rain are expected over a large part of Northern Luzon, especially the Batanes and Cagayan provinces,” Pagasa weather specialist Benison Estreja said in Filipino.

Rain and strong winds

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal Number 1  is still up over Batanes, Babuyan Islands, and the northeastern portion of Cagayan (Santa Ana and Gonzaga), said Pagasa. Strong winds are anticipated in these areas, Estreja added. 

Batanes and Babuyan Islands and the northern portions of Ilocos Norte, Apayao, and Cagayan are forecast to experience moderate to heavy and at times, intense rains due to Obet, said Pagasa.

The rest of Cagayan, Apayao, and Ilocos Norte will have light to moderate with at times heavy rains.

Rough seas, flood and landslide alerts

Pagasa has also raised a gale warning over Batanes, Cagayan, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur due to the combined effects of the northwest monsoon or amihan and Obet.  

Estreja also warned of possible floods and landslides.

Obet’s exit path

Obet is forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Saturday evening but may further intensify into a tropical storm over the West Philippine Sea. 

Wet, cloudy weekend

Metro Manila and the rest of the country can expect partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers due to either localized thunderstorms or the intertropical convergence zone, which is where northeast and southwest winds meet. 

Forecast temperature range in key areas on Friday:  

• Metro Manila — 25 to 31 degrees Celsius
• Baguio — 17 to 21  degrees Celsius
• Laoag — 24 to 27 degrees Celsius
• Tuguegarao — 24 to 28 degrees Celsius
• Legazpi — 25 to 30 degrees Celsius
• Puerto Princesa — 26 to 30 degrees Celsius
• Tagaytay — 23 to 29 degrees Celsius
• Kalayaan Islands — 27 to 31 degrees Celsius
• Iloilo — 25 to 30 degrees Celsius
• Cebu — 26 to 31 degrees Celsius
• Tacloban — 26 to 31 degrees Celsius
• Cagayan de Oro — 24 to 30 degrees Celsius
• Zamboanga — 25 to 33 degrees Celsius
• Davao — 25 to 31 degrees Celsius

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