MANILA, Philippines — Severe Tropical Storm Falcon (international name: Khanun) has intensified into a typhoon as it moved north-northwestward over the Philippine Sea on Sunday evening, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in its 11 p.m. bulletin.
Falcon was moving at 15 kph and was last monitored 1,090 km east of extreme Northern Luzon. It had maximum sustained winds of 140 kph and gusts of up to 170 kph.
Though already a typhoon, Falcon is not likely to prompt Pagasa to raise wind signals in any part of the country.
But it would continuously enhance the southwest monsoon, or “habagat,” which will bring rains over the western portion of Luzon in the next three days.
On Monday, habagat’s strong winds and effects will be felt in Zambales, Bataan, Cavite, Lubang Island, Kalayaan Islands, Cuyo Islands, Romblon, northwestern Antique, Camarines Sur, and Albay.
On Tuesday, the southwest monsoon will affect Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Abra, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan, the central and southern portions of Aurora, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, and most of Ilocos Region, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Mimaropa (Mindoro Oriental and Occidental, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan), the Bicol Region, and Western Visayas.
The typhoon may exit the Philippine area of responsibility between Monday late evening and Tuesday morning. It’s forecast to west-northwest and pass very close over Okinawa Islands in the Ryukyu Archipelago while gradually decelerating. It’s likely to will arrive over the East China Sea on Wednesday.