TS Basyang on track for Caraga landfall; 13 areas under Signal 2

Tropical Storm Basyang (international name Sanba) maintained its west-northwesterly movement and continued to threaten northeastern Mindanao early Tuesday morning, weather service PAGASA reported in a 2 a.m. bulletin.

At 1 a.m., Basyang was 240 kilometers east-southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, with sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 80 kph.

The tropical storm was expected to bring scattered to widespread moderate to heavy rain over the Visayas; the Caraga, Northern Mindanao, and Zamboanga Peninsula Regions; and the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, and Lanao del Sur.

Scattered light to moderate, with at times heavy rain, could also be expected over the Bicol Region, the rest of Mindanao, and the province of Romblon.

Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal 2 was thus raised over:

• Bohol,
• southern Cebu,
• Siquijor,
• Negros Oriental,
• Southern Leyte,
• Dinagat Island,
• Surigao del Norte,
• Surigao del Sur,
• Agusan del Norte,
• Agusan del Sur,
• Camiguin,
• Misamis Oriental, and
• the northern section of Bukidnon.

These areas would experience a meter-high storm surge, and 4.1 to 14 meter high open-sea waves.

Signal 1 was also raised over:

• Cuyo Island,
• the southern section of Masbate,
• Aklan,
• Capiz,
• Antique,
• Iloilo,
• Guimaras,
• Negros Occidental,
• the rest of Cebu,
• Leyte,
• Biliran,
• Samar,
• Eastern Samar,
• Zamboanga del Norte,
• Zamboanga del Sur,
• Zamboanga Sibugay,
• Misamis Occidental,
• Lanao del Norte,
• Lanao del Sur,
• the rest of Bukidnon,
• North Cotabato,
• Compostela Valley,
• Davao del Norte, and
• Davao Oriental.

These areas could expect 1.25 to four meter high open-sea waves.

With Basyang still moving west-northwest at 25 kph, the tropical storm was projected to make landfall over the Caraga Region sometime Tuesday morning.

After which, it would be:

• 45 kms northeast of Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte by Tuesday evening,
• near Aborlan, Palawan by Wednesday evening, and
• 35 kms south of Pagasa Island, Palawan, and outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility, by Thursday evening.

— DVM, GMA News