Tino out of PAR; possible super typhoon on Saturday

MANILA, November 6 ------ Typhoon Tino (international name Kalmaegi) has further intensified as it continues to move west- northwestward over the West Philippine Sea, north of Kalayaan Islands, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said. "Tuluyan na itong lumabas ng ating PAR (Philippine Area of Responsibility), kaninang madaling araw, 12:30 a.m. Pero sa ngayon. Kahit nasalabas na ito ng ating bansa dahil sa kanyang kalawakan, meron pa rin tayong tropical cyclone wind signal dito sa may Kalayaan Islands," weather specialist Loriedin De La Cruz-Galicia said during the 6 a.m. online briefing.

As of 4 a.m., the center of the eye of Tino was estimated at 265 kilometers north northwest of Pag-asa Island, Kalayaan, Palawan—outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). The typhoon now packs maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center and gustiness of up to 190 km/h. It is moving west-northwestward at 35 km/h. Strong to typhoon-force winds extend outward up to 480 kilometers from the center.

Tino's trough may still bring scattered rain showers in Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, Aurora and Quezon. Batanes may experience cloudy skies with rain showers due to northeast monsoon or "amihan" while Cagayan may also experience cloudy skies with rain showers due to a shear line. Fair weather is expected in the Greater Manila Area, Visayas and Mindanao with localized thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. "Para naman sa track nitong si Bagyong Tino, patuloy na itong lumalabas ng ating bansa at patungo na ito sa Vietnam pero nananatili ito sa typhoon category pero dahil sa lawak niya meron parin tayong TCWS No. 1 dito sa Kalayaan Islands," Galicia said. However, the TCWS may be lifted within the day. No more gale warnings on the seaboards across the country.

Meanwhile, the tropical depression monitored outside PAR has intensified into a tropical storm with the international name Fung-Wong. The storm is moving northwestward at 20 km/h, with strong to gale-force winds extending outward up to 550 kilometers from its center. PAGASA said Fung-Wong will continue moving northwestward until Friday, before turning west-northwestward over the next few days. On its current path, it is expected to enter the PAR by late Friday evening or early Saturday morning and will be assigned the local name Uwan once inside.

The system could rapidly intensify into a typhoon by Friday and potentially reach the super typhoon category by Saturday. There is an increasing likelihood that it could make landfall over Northern or Central Luzon on Monday, possibly at or near its peak intensity.

Source: pna.gov.ph