Pagasa: Typhoon Hanna maintains strength; windy weekend in parts of Luzon, Visayas
MANILA, Philippines — Typhoon Hanna (international name: Haikui) maintained its strength while moving west, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in its Friday night bulletin.
The state weather bureau reported that Hanna was last spotted some 600 kilometers east northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, packing maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 150 kph while moving west at 15 kph.
“Hanna is less likely to directly bring heavy rainfall over the country throughout the forecast period. However, the southwest Monsoon currently enhanced by Hanna and two other tropical cyclones outside the Philippine area of responsibility (Saola and Kirogi) will bring occasional to monsoon rains over the western portion of Luzon in the next three days,” Pagasa said.
From Friday night to Sunday, the following areas would experience gusty conditions due to the southwest monsoon:
- Batanes and Babuyan Islands
- Ilocos region
- Cordillera Administrative Region
- Nueva Vizcaya
- Zambales
- Pampanga
- Bataan
- Aurora
- Bulacan
- Metro Manila
- Calabarzon
- Mindoro provinces
- Marinduque
- Romblon
- Palawan
- Bicol region
- Western Visayas
- northern portion of Eastern Visayas
Hanna’s latest forecast track shows that it is expected to make a slight northwest turn towards Taiwan.
It is expected to remain as a typhoon-category cyclone — and further intensify — as it moves closer to southern Taiwan.
“Hanna is less likely to directly bring severe winds over the country throughout the forecast period. However, further southward shift in the track forecast may result in the hoisting of Wind Signal No. 1 over Batanes,” Pagasa said.
“Considering these developments, the public and disaster risk reduction and management offices concerned are advised to take all necessary measures to protect life and property. Persons living in areas identified to be highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards are advised to follow evacuation and other instructions from local officials,” it added.
