‘Queenie’ kills two; to hit Palawan Friday night

By: Jeannette I. Andrade - 10 years ago

Satellite Image-4:57 AM-November 28, 2014. SCREENGRAB from noah.dost.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines—Tropical Depression “Queenie,” which on Thursday left two persons dead as it swept over the Visayas, is expected to make landfall again in Palawan before leaving the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Friday night.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) forecasters said weather conditions throughout the country were expected to gradually improve on Friday, except for Palawan.

Forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said Queenie was anticipated to again make landfall in Palawan, where storm signal No. 1 has been hoisted, before it leaves the PAR between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Friday.

Aurelio said the weather in most parts of the country, particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao, was expected to improve as the storm moved away.

The Office of Civil Defense-Central Visayas reported the death of two persons identified as Alona Baldado and Rosito Gavas. Baldado was swept away by floodwaters in Malabuyuc, Cebu, while Gavas was fishing in Bohol when he was caught in the storm.

As of 4 p.m. Thursday, Queenie was at 90 kilometers southeast of Cuyo, Palawan, with maximum winds of 55 kilometers per hour moving west-northwest at 24 kph.

The amount of rainfall within the 300-km storm diameter is moderate to heavy from 7-millimeters per hour to 15-mm per hour.

Aurelio alerted residents of both low-lying and mountainous areas of Palawan, the Calamian group of islands, Cuyo islands, southern Negros Occidental, Guimaras, Iloilo, Antique, Romblon and Mindoro to possible flash floods and landslides.

He advised fishing boats and other small vessels against venturing into the eastern seaboard of the Visayas where sea conditions are expected to be rough to very rough because of strong to gale force winds. Aurelio alerted big vessels to waves that could reach 4.5 meters.

In Pagasa’s forecast for Friday, Palawan, Negros Occidental, Guimaras Island, Iloilo and Antique will have rains with gusty winds, while the rest of the Visayas and Mindanao, the Bicol region and Quezon, Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon provinces 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.