Enteng now a tropical storm, enhances habagat to bring rains over Luzon, Visayas

The tropical depression known as Enteng has become a tropical storm and is enhancing the southwest monsoon (habagat) on Sunday, which will bring rains to parts of Luzon and Visayas, PAGASA said in its 5 a.m. severe weather bulletin.

A low pressure area (LPA) located west of Zambales will also enhance the habagat.

Monsoon rains are to be expected over Pangasinan, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan, MIMAROPA, and Antique, and occasional rains over Metro Manila, CALABARZON, Bicol Region, and the rest of Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Luzon, and Visayas.

During times of heavy or prolonged rainfall, flooding or rain-induced landslides may occur in hazard-prone areas.

Gusty conditions especially in coastal and mountainous areas will be felt over Pangasinan, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol Region, and Western Visayas in the next 24 hours.

A gale warning was raised over the seaboards of Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, western coast of Batangas, western coast of Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Island, and western coast of Palawan including Calamian Islands. These areas will have waves ranging from 2.8 to 4.0 meters tall.

Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, and Isabela also have a gale warning as waves may reach from 2.8 to 3.4 meters.

Sea travel in the above-mentioned areas will be risky as coastal waters will be rough to very rough.

Meanwhile, in the seaboards of  Visayas and the rest of Luzon, coastal waters will be moderate to rough with waves reaching from 1.2 to 2.8 meters. Small seacraft will need to take precautions.

At 4 a.m. on Sunday, Enteng (international name: Jangmi) was located 545 km east northeast of Calayan, Cagayan or 445 km east northeast of Basco, Batanes.

The storm has maximum sustained winds of up to 65 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 80 km/h, and moving north at 30 km/h.

It is on a northward track at sea, far from the Philippine landmass, and is expected to move near or over the southern islands of the Ryukyu archipelago in Japan. By Sunday afternoon, Enteng will be outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

The LPA, meanwhile, was located 215 km west southwest of Iba, Zambales or 235 km west of Subic Bay as of 4 a.m. It is less likely to intensify into a tropical depression in 24 hours.

The next severe weather bulletin will be issued at 11 a.m. —KG, GMA News