Typhoon Huaning signal 1 still hoisted over Batanes, to exit PH Sunday

MANILA, Philippines—Typhoon Huaning maintained its strength as it continued to move west northwest, the state weather bureau said Thursday.

Signal No.1 remained hoisted in Batanes group of islands, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said in its tropical cyclone bulletin.

The typhoon was last spotted 910 kilometers east of Itbayat, Batanes, with maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 210 kph.

It continued to move west northwest with the speed of 20 kph.

By Sunday morning, it was forecast to be 210 km northwest of Itbayat, or outside the Philippine area of responsibility.

Huaning will bring heavy to intense rains (10-25mm) within its 800 km diameter and will enhance the southwest monsoon.

Fishermen, especially those using small seacraft, were advised not to venture out into the northern and eastern seaboards of Luzon due to big waves whipped up by Huaning.

In a separate weather bulletin, Pagasa said the Batanes group of islands will experience rains with gusty winds, while the regions of Cordillera, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao and Caraga, and the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the north to northwest will prevail over northern and eastern Luzon and coming from the west to southwest over eastern Visayas, Pagasa said.

It said the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough. Light to moderate winds coming from the west to southwest will prevail over Mindanao and the rest of Visayas and from the northwest over the rest of the country.

The coastal waters along these areas will be slight to moderate, Pagasa said.