Weather disturbance in China blunts ‘Butchoy’

MTSAT ENHANCED IR Satellite Image for 8:32 p.m., 17 June 2012

MANILA, Philippines—A tropical depression south of China has been blunting the effects of typhoon “Butchoy” over the western seaboard of Luzon, weather forecasters said Sunday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said a tropical cyclone that formed in southern China was having some unexpected effects: It was sucking some of the moisture in the air and this was why the southwest monsoon had not been as strong as feared, weather forecaster Glaiza Escullar said.

Even so, disaster management officials were not taking any chances. Relief and emergency evacuation plans were put in place in towns in northern Luzon as Butchoy passed 550 kilometers east of Aparri Sunday afternoon.

Pagasa saw very little chance Butchoy would make a landfall in the Philippines. However, it had increased wind velocity to 185 kph near the center and gustiness up to 220 kph; it had a diameter of 500 km.

Early Monday, Butchoy was expected to be 500 km east northeast of Basco, Batanes. Moving at 22 kph, it will be out of the Philippine areas of responsibility by Tuesday morning, according to Escullar.

The storm in southern China was moving closer to the Philippines but was unlikely to enter the country, Pagasa said.

Escullar said fair weather in the Visayas and Mindanao were starting to be felt as Butchoy moves out of the country.

Nonetheless, Pagasa warned ships against venturing out to the sea. “Fishing boats and other small seacraft are advised not to venture out to the seaboards of Luzon and the Visayas due to the big waves generated by the combined effects of Butchoy and the southwest monsoon.”

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Executive Director Benito Ramos said “storm surges” could still occur even with Butchoy on the way out.

“The waves are still big out there,” Ramos said over the phone Sunday afternoon. He said coastal residents should take precautions.

On Sunday, two crew members of a small cargo boat were rescued after their vessel nearly sank off the resort island of Boracay, a Coast Guard official said.

The outrigger motorboat Cathlyn took in water due to huge waves and strong winds shortly after it left Boracay for Caticlan before noon.

Lieutenant Commodore Terence Alsosa, commander of the Coast Guard station in Caticlan, Aklan, said no one was injured and that the boat was towed back to shore.—Reports from Leila Salaverria and Dona Pazzibugan in Manila; Nestor P. Burgos, Inquirer Visayas; Villamor Visaya Jr. and Yolanda Sotelo, Inquirer Northern Luzon; and Carmela Reyes-Estrope, Inquirer Central Luzon