Typhoon ‘Hanna’ maintains strength, to exit PH Saturday

Typhoon “Hanna” (international name: Soudelor) kept its strength as it moved closer to the Batanes-Taiwan area, the state weather bureau said on Friday afternoon.

The typhoon packed maximum sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 200 kph, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.

Hanna, which is reported the world’s strongest storm for 2015, is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday morning. It continued to move west northwest at 20 kph.

Signal No. 2 remained hoisted over Batanes province including Itbayat while Signal No. 1 was raised over Calayan and Babuyan Group of Islands and Northern Cagayan.

The southwest monsoon will bring rains in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol region and Visayas. Flashfloods and landslides are possible in these areas.

Pagasa also warned fishermen not to venture out over the seaboards of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.