Signal No. 1 up over Cagayan, Isabela, Babuyan islands

MTSAT-EIR Satellite Image for 5 a.m., 01 October 2011

MANILA, Philippines—Signal No. 1 has been raised over Cagayan, Isabela and the Babuyan Group of Islands as Tropical Storm “Quiel” (international name: Nalgae) intensified into typhoon, the state-run weather bureau said early Friday.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Quiel was located 770 kilometers east of Appari, Cagayan as of 4 a.m.

It had maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph.

It was forecast to move westward at 22 kph.

Eastern Visayas and Mindanao will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms becoming cloudy with widespread rains over eastern Mindanao, Pagasa said.

The rest of the country will be partly cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms, the weather bureau said.

Moderate to occasionally strong winds blowing from the northeast to northwest will prevail over Northern and Central Luzon and coastal waters will be moderate to occasionally rough, it added.

Residents in low lying and mountainous areas under public storm warning signals are alerted against possible flashfloods and landslides. Likewise, those living in coastal areas are alerted against big waves or storm surges generated by this tropical cyclone.

Typhoon Quiel is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon and will bring scattered to widespread rains over Southern Luzon and Western Visayas.