MANILA, Philippines – The tropical depression outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) strengthened into a tropical storm while passing close to the United States island territory of Guam on Tuesday evening, September 10.
It has been given the international name Bebinca, a name contributed by Macau which refers to a “Macanese milk pudding.”
In an advisory posted around midnight on Wednesday, September 11, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Bebinca was located 2,105 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas at 10 pm on Tuesday.
The tropical storm is moving northeast at 20 kilometers per hour (km/h).
So far, it has maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h and gustiness of up to 80 km/h.
PAGASA’s initial forecast shows Bebinca could enter PAR by Friday evening, September 13, and leave PAR by Saturday, September 14. Its local name would be Ferdie.
By the time it enters PAR, Bebinca may already be a severe tropical storm, as it could reach that category by Friday morning.
But PAGASA is not ruling out the possibility of Bebinca intensifying into a typhoon, “considering that the weather disturbance is still over the Pacific Ocean.”
During Bebinca’s expected brief stay inside PAR, it is projected to just cross waters near the PAR northeastern boundary, which would mean no landfall. It is also not seen to directly affect any part of the country.
The weather bureau warned, however, that Bebinca will enhance the southwest monsoon or habagat.
The southwest monsoon would then trigger occasional rain in the Visayas and Palawan, as well as scattered rain showers and thunderstorms in Bicol, the rest of Mimaropa, and Mindanao beginning Thursday, September 12.
The rainfall forecast for the southwest monsoon can still change, added PAGASA, depending on Bebinca’s track and intensity.
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PAGASA earlier said much of the country will have generally fair weather on Wednesday, with just isolated rain showers or thunderstorms. – Rappler.com