MANILA, Philippines — The low pressure area that formed off Batanes early morning Friday developed into Tropical Depression Igme on Friday afternoon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported.
According to the state weather bureau, Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 is up in Batanes.
READ: LPA forms off Batanes, may become a tropical depression this weekend
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon, locally called habagat, is affecting the following parts of Luzon and Visayas:
- Zambales (monsoon rains with possible flash floods or landslides due to heavy to intense rains)
- Ilocos Region, Bataan, and Babuyan Islands (occasional rains with possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to heavy rains)
- Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Western Visayas, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and Samar (cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms with possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to at times heavy rains)
- The rest of Visayas (partly cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms with possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms)
“On the forecast track, a landfall and passage over Taiwan area is not ruled out. Igme may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Sunday,” Pagasa said in its 5 p.m. weather bulletin.
“Igme is forecast to remain as a Tropical Depression and may gradually weaken into a low pressure area by Monday (23 September) early morning,” the bulletin added.
Igme was located east-northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (km/h) and gustiness of up to 70 km/h. It is moving northwestward with a speed of 15 km/h.
READ: La Niña to whip up more cyclones by end of 2024 – Pagasa expert