by pna
The tropical storm spotted outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) has intensified into a typhoon and is expected to enter the PAR by Sunday evening or Monday morning, the state weather bureau said on Saturday.
Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Forecaster Jori Loiz said as of 2 a.m. Saturday, the typhoon with an international name Bopha was located based on satellite and surface data at 1,760 km east of Southern Mindanao (04.5 °N, 143.0 °E) and is embedded along the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) affecting Southern Mindanao.
According to PAGASA, a tropical storm is a moderate tropical cyclone with maximum wind speed of 64 to 118 kph while a typhoon is an intense tropical cyclone with maximum wind speed exceeding 118 kph.
Once it enters the Philippine territory, Loiz said the storm will be locally named “Pablo†– the first in December and the 16th tropical cyclone to enter the country this year.
For the month of December, he said one to two tropical cyclones may still enter the country.
Loiz said that typhoon Bopha is forecast to move west at 20 kph and may enter the country either Sunday evening or Monday morning and would likely be felt starting Wednesday or Thursday. As of now, he said it is still too far to affect any part of the country.
He said the cyclone has a “high chance†to make a landfall in Eastern Visayas or Northeastern Mindanao.
“We are advising residents who may be hit first, including those in coastal areas in Eastern Visayas and Mindanao, to take precautions,†Loiz said.
Meanwhile, Loiz said due to the ITCZ which is embedded in typhoon Bopha, the Bicol region, Eastern Visayas, and Mindanao will have partly cloudy skies with isolated brief rainshowers or thunderstorms while Metro Manila and the rest of the country will experience fair weather.
In its advisory, PAGASA said that moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over Luzon and over the eastern section of Visayas and Mindanao and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough.
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