‘Butchoy’ seen to affect Cebu, Visayas

TROPICAL storm “Butchoy” (international name Guchol), which entered the country at 10 a.m. yesterday, will affect a portion of Cebu today, the Mactan office of the state weather bureau Pagasa said yesterday.

Pagasa Mactan weather analyst Evangeline Tolentino said the center of “Butchoy” was spotted 880 km east of Guluan, Samar province with maximum sustained winds of 85 km per hour and gustiness of up to 100 kph.

Tolentino said Butchoy’s presence will be most felt in the Eastern Visayas in areas like Samar, Leyte, Ormoc and others. “Cebu’s northern side will be affected due to the northern winds,” she said.

The amount of rainfall is estimated at 15 to 25 milliliters per hour within the 300 km diameter of the storm. Tolentino said “Butchoy” is expected to move east of Virac, Catanduanes and will be in northeastern Virac tomorrow.

Tolentino said “Butchoy” is projected to arrive northeast of Aparri, Cagayan on Sunday.

Cebu and some parts of Mindanao are expected to experience thunderstorms and rain showers while the western part of Luzon will experience frequent rainfall that may lead to flashfloods and landslides. Correspondents Fe Marie Dumaboc and Careen L. Malahay