17 areas under Signal No. 2 as Ambo reaches Benguet

Seventeen areas remained under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 2 on Saturday as Tropical Storm Ambo (international name: Vongfong) reached Benguet, PAGASA said in its 5 a.m. severe weather bulletin.

TCWS No. 2 was hoisted over the following areas:

• Babuyan Islands
• the northwestern portion of mainland Cagayan (Santa Praxedes, Claveria, Sanchez Mira, Pamplona, Abulug)
• Nueva Vizcaya
• the western portion of Quirino (Diffun, Cabarroguis, Nagtipunan)
• Ilocos Norte
• Ilocos Sur
• La Union
• Pangasinan
• Apayao
• Abra
• Kalinga
• Mountain Province
• Ifugao
• Benguet
• the central portion of Aurora (Dipaculao, Maria Aurora, Baler, San Luis)
• Nueva Ecija
• Tarlac

TCWS No. 1 on the other hand was raised over the following areas:

• Batanes
• the rest of Cagayan
• Isabela
• the rest of Quirino
• Zambales
• Bataan
• Pampanga
• Bulacan
• and the rest of Aurora

Moderate to heavy rains are expected over Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley and the northern portions of Aurora and Zambales as Ambo further weakened.

PAGASA issued a warning for residents in these areas to take appropriate measures, coordinate with local disaster risk reduction and management offices, and continue monitoring for updates, especially the local rainfall or thunderstorm advisories and heavy rainfall warnings from PAGASA Regional Services Divisions (PRSD).

Flooding and rain-induced landslides may occur in highly to very highly susceptible areas during heavy or prolonged rainfall.

As of 4 a.m. on Saturday, the center of Tropical Storm Ambo was estimated to be in the vicinity of Tuba, Benguet packing maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 125 kph and moving northwestward at the speed of 15 kph.

Sea travel is risky for all types of seacraft over the seaboards of areas under TCWS No. 2 and No. 1 and the east coast of Quezon including Polillo Islands.

Ambo is forecast to continue traversing Northern Luzon before emerging over the coastal waters of Ilocos Region on Saturday. It is likely to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Monday afternoon.

The public and the disaster risk reduction and management councils concerned are advised to take appropriate actions and watch for the next Severe Weather Bulletin to be issued at 8 a.m. on Saturday. —BAP/KG, GMA News