Julian intensifies into tropical storm, may become typhoon by Sunday

Tropical cyclone Julian has intensified into a tropical storm at 2 p.m. on Friday, according to PAGASA.

According to PAGASA's 5 p.m. severe weather bulletin, Julian is expected to intensify into a severe tropical storm by Saturday afternoon and intensify into a typhoon by Sunday morning.

At 4 p.m. on Friday, Julian was estimated at 880 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph.

Julian is expected to move west northwestward at 15 kph on Friday evening and turn northward on Saturday morning. It is forecast to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Monday evening, August 31.

PAGASA said that raising a Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal was unlikely throughout the forecast period and that Julian was “less likely to directly cause high impact weather over the country.”

Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon is forecast to bring moderate to rough seas over the northern and western seaboards of Northern Luzon. Small sea-crafts were advised to take precautionary measures. -NB, GMA News