No strong impact expected as 'Hagupit' weakens near Philippine area

National

TROPICAL Storm Hagupit may not make much of a “grand entrance” into Philippine waters, as state weather forecasters expect it to weaken once it reaches the Philippine Sea, the weather bureau said Saturday, May 9.

In its 5 a.m. advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the storm is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) within the day. Once inside, it will be named Caloy, becoming the third tropical cyclone to affect the country this year and the first for May.

As of the latest monitoring, Hagupit was located about 1,165 kilometers east of Northern Mindanao, with maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 20 kph while moving westward at 20 kph.

Pagasa weather specialist Loriedin de la Cruz-Galicia said the cyclone is forecast to move west-northwestward while gradually weakening as it approaches the Philippine Sea. “Its thread is seen to be weakening. There is a high chance that it will weaken once it reaches the Philippine Sea,” she said in an Inquirer report.

She added that even if the system weakens into a low pressure area by May 13, it may still bring rainfall over parts of the Visayas and southern Luzon.

Pagasa also said easterlies or warm winds from the Pacific Ocean are affecting the country on Saturday, bringing partly cloudy to cloudy skies over Luzon and Visayas and localized thunderstorms over Mindanao, with no gale warning currently in effect across any seaboard.

The weather bureau forecast generally warm conditions nationwide, with temperatures ranging from the mid-20s to upper 30s Celsius. Tuguegarao may reach up to 39°C, Metro Manila is expected to range from 27°C to 36°C, while Baguio will remain cooler at 18°C to 27°C.(MyTVCebu)