MANILA, Philippines — A typhoon (international name: Mawar) approaching the Philippine area of responsibility intensified into a super typhoon again on Thursday morning, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.
“Patuloy na lumakas ang tropical cyclone na si Mawar. Kung kahapon typhoon ito, ngayon ay lumakas muli into super typhoon,” Pagasa weather specialist Benison Estareja said in a report.
(Tropical cyclone Mawar continues to strengthen. If yesterday it was a typhoon, today it has strengthened again into a super typhoon.)
As of 3 a.m., Mawar’s location was 2,150 kilometers east of Southern Luzon, according to the state weather service, packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (kph) with a gustiness of 230 kph.
READ: Mawar still outside PH, but now a supertyphoon
Mawar also slightly accelerated at 15 kph and currently has a diameter of 780 kilometers, according to Estareja.
He added that Mawar will remain strong as it moves west-northwest before entering the PAR on Friday to Saturday (May 26-27).
“Simula Wednesday hanggang Friday, ay kikilos ito generally west-northwest at mananatiling super typhoon, mananatiling malakas pa din po ito,” he noted.
(From Wednesday to Friday, it will move generally west-northwest and will remain a super typhoon, it will still remain strong.)
READ: Slim chance super typhoon Mawar may make landfall in PH – Pagasa
“Possibleng pumasok ito ng PAR Friday ng gabi hanggang Sabado ng madaling araw,” Estareja further said.
(It may enter PAR Friday night into Saturday morning.)
Once it enters the PAR, the typhoon will be given the local name “Betty.”
It would be the second storm to hit the country this year and the first this month.
The name Betty was also used for a typhoon that hit the Philippines in 2015 and 2019. But Pagasa may reuse one of four sets of typhoon names on a four-year rotation.
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