Pagasa sattelite image.
MANILA, Philippines – Eastern Samar has been placed under Signal no. 1 as tropical storm Butchoy (international name: Guchol) maintained its strength and moved closer to the province, the state weather bureau said Friday.
As of 5p.m., Butchoy was seen 500 kilometers east-southeast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, moving west-northwest at 11 kilometers per hour.
It has maximum sustained winds of 110 kph and gustiness of up to 140 kph.
Butchoy is expected to bring 15-25mm rains per hour, Pagasa said.
Eastern Samar will experience rains with gusty winds and moderate to rough seas. Luzon, which is affected by a southwest monsoon, will have occasional rains becoming frequent over the western section and which may trigger flashfloods and landslides, Pagasa said.
Meanwhile, the rest of the country will have cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms.
Moderate to strong winds blowing from the southwest will prevail over the whole archipelago with moderate to rough seas, it said.
Fishing boats and other small seacraft were also advised to avoid the seaboards of Luzon, Visayas and Eastern Mindanao due to big waves.