Typhoon seen to hit extreme northern Luzon weekend

Extreme northern Luzon will be directly hit by an incoming typhoon by the weekend, according to the state weather bureau.

Latest forecast track showed Severe Tropical Storm Goni headed for extreme northern Luzon, like Typhoon Hanna (international name Soudelor) the previous week, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

The storm is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility late Tuesday or early Wednesday when it will be given the local name Ineng, the ninth cyclone to hit the country in 2015.

“It will directly hit extreme northern Luzon. The storm’s rain bands will hit extreme northern Luzon,” PAGASA weather specialist Robert Badrina told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

“We are not discounting the possibility it will make landfall. If it makes landfall it will be over Batanes,” he added.

The storm, which developed early Friday over the Pacific Ocean, was about 2,400 east of southern Luzon as of Friday night.

Currently packing maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour and gusts up to 140 kph, Goni is expected to intensify into typhoon.

Badrina said that so far, there has been no forecast of it developing into a super typhoon, or powerful typhoons that reach least 220 kph maximum sustained winds according to PAGASA’s categorization.

If the cyclone maintains its west northeast track towards the country at 15 kph, it would likely enter the Philippine area of responsibility Tuesday night or early Wednesday, according to Badrina.

Badrina said the scenario might change as the cyclone was still developing.

Another cyclone trailing Goni, which was named Tropical Storm Atsani, was about 4,100 kilometers east of central Luzon as of Friday.

Based on its track, there was a small chance it would enter PAR, Badrina said.

Typhoon Hanna, so far the strongest typhoon this year, spared the country from a direct hit since it did not make landfall but nevertheless battered the country’s northern islands and intensified monsoon rains over most of the country during the first week of August.