‘Butchoy’ coming, not making landfall, but will linger

TROPICAL Storm “Butchoy” (international name: Nepartak) is expected to bring rain to most of Luzon and the Visayas this week even as there is little chance of landfall.

The second cyclone to hit the country this year, the slow-moving Butchoy estimated at about 2,000 kilometers east of Mindanao as of Sunday, will enter the Philippine area of responsibility on Tuesday.

For the next days until Friday, the storm will move northwest but will remain more than 1,000 kilometers to the east of the Luzon landmass, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

“Chances of landfall are low, but it will enhance the southwest monsoon and bring rains over western Luzon, including Metro Manila and Western Visayas in the coming days,” Pagasa meteorologist Samuel Duran said on Sunday.

Pagasa forecast the storm will be about 1,000 km northeast of the country’s northern tip, Batanes, by Thursday.

In its weekly outlook, Pagasa said the storm-enhanced southwest monsoon will bring intermittent light to moderate rains and scattered thunderstorms over Mindanao, Western and Central Visayas, and Palawan and Mindoro on Tuesday.

The rest of the country will likely have brief thunderstorms in the afternoon or evening.

Beginning Wednesday, the northwest-moving storm will gradually direct the monsoon rains over Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Zamboanga peninsula, northern Mindanao and the Visayas.

On Thursday and Friday, the intermittent light to moderate rains will become frequently moderate to occasionally heavy rains over Metro Manila, Western Visayas and the provinces of Mindoro, Cavite, Batangas, Zambales and Bataan, according to Pagasa.

From a tropical depression Saturday night, Butchoy intensified to maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts up to 80 kph on Sunday while headed northwest towards the country at 10 kph.

By Monday morning, the center of the storm is expected to be 2,030 km east of the Visayas and 2,000 km east of Luzon by Tuesday morning.

Beginning Wednesday, Butchoy will begin to pull away from the country’s northern border. It is expected to be at 1,030 km northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, by Thursday morning.