Tropical Storm “Paeng” (international name: Nalgae) has intensified as it blew northwestward over the warm waters of the Philippine Sea, prompting the state weather bureau to raise Signal No. 2 over the Bicol Region and Eastern Samar.
Paeng was located 180 kilometers east of Catarman, Northern Samar, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in its 5 p.m. Friday weather bulletin.
The storm is expected to make landfall in Catanduanes province on Saturday morning. But with Paeng’s southward shift in the forecast track, Pagasa said a landfall was possible in another part of the Bicol region.
Paeng is also forecast to intensify into a severe tropical storm but is unlikely to reach typhoon category.
The weather bureau said the storm was packing sustained winds of 85 km per hour and gusts of up to 105 km per hour as it moved northwestward at 25 kph on Friday afternoon.
Signal No. 2 was raised over Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, eastern portion of Camarines Sur, Northern Samar and northern portion of Eastern Samar.
Signal No. 1
Signal No. 1 is up in Metro Manila, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, the southeastern portion of Tarlac, central and southern portions of Nueva Ecija, southern portion of Aurora, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, the rest of Quezon, Mindoro Island and Romblon.
Other areas under Signal No. 1 are Calamian Islands in northern Palawan, Southern Leyte, northern and central portions of Cebu, the northern portion of Negros Oriental, Guimaras, Aklan, northern and central portions of Antique, Capiz, northern and central portions of Iloilo, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, the northern portion of Surigao del Sur and the northern portion of Agusan del Norte.
Areas under Signal No. 2 may be affected by gale-force winds.
Pagasa warned of dangers of flooding and landslides, especially in areas indicated on hazard maps.
It said storm surges may cause flooding in low-lying and exposed coastal areas of Bicol, Quezon, the eastern portion of Aurora, the northern and eastern portions of Northern Samar, and the eastern portion of Eastern Samar.
A marine gale warning has been raised over the seaboards of northern Luzon, central Luzon, southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao due to the surge of the northeast monsoonThe Ninoy Aquino International Airport Authority on Friday said 20 domestic flights were canceled due to the storm. These include flights between Manila and Masbate, Naga, Surigao, Del Carmen (Surigao del Norte), Dipolog, Cauayan (Isabela), Roxas, Cotabato and Bacolod.
READ: Paeng now a Severe Tropical Storm; Signal No. 3 up in several Bicol towns