MANILA, Philippines – Tropical Storm Emong (Co-may) was already over the coastal waters of Sabtang, Batanes, as of 4 pm on Friday, July 25, after passing close to Babuyan Islands.
The tropical storm continues to move north northeast at a very fast 40 kilometers per hour (km/h), and may already exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Saturday morning, July 26.
It still has maximum sustained winds of 85 km/h and gustiness of up to 115 km/h, but remains likely to weaken on its way out of PAR and may just be a remnant low on Saturday evening.
At its peak, Emong was a typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h. It made landfall twice as a typhoon — first in Agno, Pangasinan, at 10:40 pm on Thursday, July 24, then in Candon City, Ilocos Sur, at 5:10 am on Friday.
Emong began weakening as it crossed the mountainous terrain of Northern Luzon, but not before causing serious damage and flooding.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in a briefing past 5 pm that torrential rain is no longer expected from Emong, but moderate to intense rain may persist in more than a dozen provinces in the next 24 hours.
Friday afternoon, July 25, to Saturday afternoon, July 26
- Heavy to intense rain (100-200 millimeters): Batanes, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Benguet, La Union, Pangasinan
- Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Cagayan, Apayao, Kalinga, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya
Saturday afternoon, July 26, to Sunday afternoon, July 27
- Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Batanes
Tropical cyclone wind signals have been lifted for many provinces as of 5 pm on Friday, with only these areas remaining on the list:
Signal No. 2
Gale-force winds (62 to 88 km/h), minor to moderate threat to life and property
- Batanes
- Babuyan Islands
Signal No. 1
Strong winds (39 to 61 km/h), minimal to minor threat to life and property
- Ilocos Norte
- Apayao
- mainland Cagayan
The highest tropical cyclone wind signal raised due to Emong was Signal No. 4.
PAGASA lifted storm surge warnings late Friday afternoon as well.
Enhanced southwest monsoon
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon or habagat — still being enhanced by Emong — is no longer causing torrential rain, too. But there may still be periods of heavy rain until the weekend.
Friday afternoon, July 25, to Saturday afternoon, July 26
- Heavy to intense rain (100-200 mm): Zambales, Bataan, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Occidental Mindoro
- Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Metro Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Bulacan, Rizal, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Marinduque, Romblon, Antique
Saturday afternoon, July 26, to Sunday afternoon, July 27
- Heavy to intense rain (100-200 mm): Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, Pangasinan
- Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Ilocos Sur, La Union, Cavite, Batangas, Oriental Mindoro
Sunday afternoon, July 27, to Monday afternoon, July 28
- Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro
The southwest monsoon is also bringing strong to gale-force gusts to these areas:
Friday, July 25
- Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Visayas, Dinagat Islands
Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27
- Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Aurora, Zambales, Bataan, Rizal, Quezon, Cavite, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Romblon, Bicol, Western Visayas, Northern Samar, Negros Occidental
Another gale warning was issued just for the seaboard of Northern Luzon at 5 pm, due to both Emong and the southwest monsoon. Several other seaboards are still risky for small vessels.
Up to very rough seas (travel is risky for all vessels)
- Seaboards of Batanes and Babuyan Islands; northern seaboard of mainland Cagayan – waves up to 5.5 meters high
- Remaining seaboard of Cagayan; seaboard of Isabela – waves up to 4.5 meters high
Up to rough seas (small vessels should not venture out to sea)
- Seaboard of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, and Zambales; western seaboards of Bataan and Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Islands – waves up to 4 meters high
- Northeastern seaboard of Aurora; western seaboards of Cavite, Batangas, and Palawan including Calamian Islands – waves up to 3.5 meters high
Up to moderate seas (small vessels should take precautionary measures or avoid sailing, if possible)
- Seaboards of Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Marinduque, Kalayaan Islands, Cuyo Islands, Cagayancillo Islands, and Antique; remaining seaboards of Bataan, Aurora, Cavite, Batangas, and Calamian Islands; southern seaboard of Quezon; eastern seaboard of Oriental Mindoro; northern and western seaboards of Romblon; western seaboard of Aklan including Caluya Islands – waves up to 2.5 meters high
- Seaboards of Northern Samar and Surigao del Sur; remaining seaboards of Bicol, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, and Romblon; southwestern seaboard of Negros Occidental and Iloilo; western seaboard of Guimaras; eastern seaboards of Catanduanes and Davao Oriental – waves up to 2 meters high
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Krosa
In addition, PAGASA continues to monitor Tropical Storm Krosa, located outside PAR. It was 2,290 kilometers east of Central Luzon as of 3 pm on Friday, moving east northeast at just 10 km/h.
Krosa continues to have maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h and gustiness of up to 80 km/h.
The tropical storm remains unlikely to enter PAR. – Rappler.com