Tropical Storm ‘Marce’ makes U-turn

DOST NOAH typhoon forecast as of 3:30 AM, October 05, 2012

As predicted, tropical storm “Marce” took a “U-turn” Thursday moving westward, but the state weather bureau said it might exit the country only Saturday, a day later than earlier forecasts, because of its slow movement.

The storm “weakened” as it started moving toward Vietnam, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in a bulletin.

As of 4 p.m., the eye of the storm was observed at 200 kilometers west of Iba, Zambales, packing maximum sustained winds of 75 kph and gustiness of 90 kph, the weather bureau said.

Public storm signal No. 1 was still hoisted over Bataan and Zambales provinces, indicating 30-60 kph winds, although Pagasa lifted the warning for a brief period on Thursday morning, and raised it again at midday.

By Friday afternoon, Marce is expected to be 370 kilometers off Iba, Zambales, and by Saturday, 580 kilometers of the same town, or outside the Philippine area of responsibility, Pagasa said.