Pagasa: Marce to bring rains to Luzon

MANILA, Philippines — Tropical Storm Marce (international name: Yinxing) entered the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Monday and was forecast to make landfall in the vicinity of Babuyan Islands or mainland northern Cagayan by late Thursday or early Friday.

But a change in track was still possible with landfall to happen over the Cagayan-Isabela area, according to the 5 p.m. Monday bulletin of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Marce has maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center and gustiness of up to 105 km/h.

READ: Tropical Depression Marce intensifies into a storm as it enters PAR

The storm was moving west northwestward at the speed of 30 km/h, and its center was located 740 km east of Virac, Catanduanes.

Pagasa weather specialist Veronica Torres, however, said that as of now, the storm has no direct effect on the country.

On Tuesday, rains are expected over extreme northern Luzon and the eastern section of Luzon due to the trough and the northeasterly wind flow enhanced by the storm.

Pagasa said it expected Marce to gradually intensify and reach severe tropical storm category by late Monday or early Tuesday. It may also become a typhoon by late Tuesday or early Wednesday. —Gillian Villanueva