‘Seniang’ expected to hit Palawan Wednesday

TROPICAL Storm “Seniang” (international name: Jang-mi) headed straight to Palawan province Wednesday after causing deadly flash floods and landslides in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Bringing heavy to intense rains and sustained winds of up to 65 kilometers per hour with gusts of up to 80 kph within its 300-kilometer diameter cloud cover, Seniang is expected to make landfall over the provincial capital, Puerto Princesa City Wednesday morning, the weather bureau said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) raised Storm Warning Signal No. 2 over the entire island-province as well as nearby Cuyo island as these will experience stormy weather.

Pagasa forecaster Meno Mendoza said the center of the storm will be over Puerto Princesa City between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. Wednesday.

The storm picked up speed to 19 kph from 15 kph as it crossed the Panay Gulf Tuesday afternoon after causing flash floods and landslides in the Visayas and northeastern Mindanao.

Storm out by Thursday

Pagasa has lifted storm warning signals over Mindanao but maintained Signal No. 2 alert over Guimaras and southern Antique and Iloilo, and Signal No. 1 alert over Negros Occidental, Aklan, Capiz and the rest of Antique and Iloilo provinces.

But even though Seniang has moved away and headed to Palawan, the Visayas provinces as well as the Bicol region will still experience moderate to heavy rains on Wednesday, Dec. 31, due to the storm’s effects, Mendoza said.

In Mindanao, the Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao and Caraga regions will have light to moderate rains, Mendoza added.

Seniang will be out at the West Philippine Sea by Wednesday afternoon, and outside the Philippine area of responsibility by Thursday morning, according to Pagasa.