‘Lando’ Signal 3 lowered; typhoon still moving north

Typhoon Lando (international name Koppu) has slightly lost strength and Storm Signal No. 3 over five provinces has been lowered one notch as the cyclone continued to crawl towards Apayao, Ilocos Norte and Abra early Monday.

It remained at a typhoon intensity with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 150 kph, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

Lando was still moving north-northeast at 5 kph.

Benguet, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Ilocos Norte and Abra which were previously under Signal No. 3 were placed under Signal No. 2 in Pagasa’s 5 a.m. update.

Also under Signal No. 2 were Cagayan, the Calayan and Babuyan group of Islands, Pangasinan, Ifugao, the Mountain Province, Kalinga, Nueva Vizcaya and Apayao. These will continue to have stormy weather.

Occasional rain with gusty winds will be experienced over areas under Signal No. 1:  Zambales, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Quirino, Aurora, Isabela, Batanes and Metro Manila.

Pagasa warned residents in affected areas to be on alert against possible flashfloods and landslides.

Heavy to intense rain is forecast within Lando’s 500-kilometer radius. Fishermen are still warned against venturing into the seaboards of Luzon and the Visayas.

Lando was last tracked over the vicinity of Santiago, Ilocos Sur.

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