Ramon weakens into tropical storm, signals still up in some areas

Cyclone Ramon has further weakened into a tropical storm as it moved inland on Wednesday morning, state weather bureau PAGASA said.

Based on its severe weather bulletin released at 8 a.m., Signal No. 2 is up over the following areas:

•     Batanes
•     Cagayan including Babuyan Islands
•     Apayao
•     Kalinga
•     Abra
•     Ilocos Norte
•     Ilocos Sur

On the other hand, Signal No. 1 is up over the northern portion of Isabela (Sta. Maria, San Pablo, Maconacon, Cabagan, Sto. Tomas, Quezon, Delfin Albano, Tumauini, Divilacan, Quirino, Roxas, Mallig, San Manuel, Burgos, Gamu and Ilagan City)

Provinces under Signal No. 1 include:

• Mountain Province
• Benguet
• Ifugao
• La Union
• Pangasinan

Storm Ramon

Light to moderate with occasional heavy rains may be expected over Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Apayao, and the northern portion of Ilocos Norte on Wednesday, PAGASA said.

Ilocos Sur, Abra, Kalinga, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Isabela, and the rest of Ilocos Norte may also experience light to moderate with intermittent heavy rains.

Residents of the aforementioned areas were advised to take precautionary measures for possible floods and landslides.

Sea travel remains risky over the seaboards of areas under tropical cyclone warning signals, as well as the seaboards of southern Isabela, Camarines Norte and Catanduanes, the western seaboard of Zambales and Bataan.

Moreover, PAGASA said rough sea conditions may be expected in the waters off Occidental Mindoro and Palawan, and the northern seaboard of Camarines Sur.

As of 7 a.m., Ramon was spotted in the vicinity of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan and was moving southwest at 15 kilometers per hour (kph).

It has maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 140 kph.

Ramon is expected to weaken into a low-pressure area within 24 hours, the state weather bureau added. —Dona Magsino/LBG, GMA News