'Dante' likely to intensify into tropical storm, fuel 'habagat' rains

MANILA, Philippines, July 23 ------ While Tropical Depression “Dante” still remains distant from Philippine shores and land areas, PAGASA warned on Wednesday morning, July 23, that its position over warm waters could further strengthen the southwest monsoon (habagat).

In its 5 a.m. advisory, the state weather bureau last spotted Dante about 880 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon with maximum sustained winds of 55 km per hour (kph) and gusts reaching 70 kph. The system is tracking northwestward at 25 kph and is forecast to approach Itbayat, Batanes in the coming days. No wind signal has been raised yet as Dante poses no immediate wind threat to the country in the coming hours, PAGASA weather specialist Loriedin De La Cruz-Galicia said.

Instead, she explained that Dante's position may further intensify the habagat, which has been driving heavy rainfall across Luzon and Visayas over the past week. “Samantala, ang nakikita po nating concern dahil dito kay Dante ay yung kanyang lokasyon at position po ay very favorable para makapaghatak pa or makapag enhance pa lalo ng habagat sa malaking bahagi ng ating bansa,” De La Cruz-Galicia said. “At yung habagat po na ‘yan, siya po nagdudulot ng mga pagulan sa malaking bahagi po ng Luzon at ilang bahagi ng Visayas,” she added. The tropical depression is also anticipated to intensify further into a tropical storm within the next 12 hours. While unlikely, Dante developing into a severe tropical storm has not been ruled out.

Source: philstar.com