Tropical storm to enter PAR on Thursday, to be named Pepito

The tropical storm with international name Man-Yi is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Thursday evening and will be called Pepito, state weather bureau PAGASA said Wednesday.

“MAN-YI may enter the PAR region by tomorrow (14 November) evening as ‘PEPITO’…On the track forecast, PEPITO may make landfall over the eastern coast of Luzon during the weekend (16 or 17 November),” PAGASA said in its 11 a.m. advisory.

According to weather bureau, the tropical storm may intensify into severe tropical storm on Wednesday and reach the typhoon category by Thursday afternoon or evening.

The tropical cyclone could even reach the super typhoon category, according to PAGASA.

“The possibility of rapid intensification is not ruled out. Since this tropical cyclone may reach typhoon category while over the Philippine Sea, the possibility for MAN-YI to reach super typhoon category prior to landfall is also not ruled out,” PAGASA said.

“Regardless, MAN-YI may make landfall at peak intensity,” it added.

PAGASA said Man-Yi was last spotted at 1,965 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas moving west-southwestward at 30 kilometers per hour (kph).

The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA Integrated News