Pepito maintains strength, to make landfall over the coast of Aurora-Isabela

Tropical Depression Pepito maintains its strength as it moves west northwestward, PAGASA reported in Severe Weather Bulletin No. 5.

Pepito will move west-northwestward towards the Northern-Central Luzon area. The center of this tropical cyclone is forecast to make landfall over the coast of Aurora-Isabela area on Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning.

The Tropical Depression may reach tropical storm category before making landfall. However, there remains a possibility that this tropical cyclone makes landfall as a tropical depression.

After crossing the landmass of Luzon, Pepito is forecast to intensify and may reach severe tropical storm category by Thursday.

As of 1 a.m. on Tuesday, the center of Tropical Depression Pepito was estimated at 260 kilometers east northeast of Virac, Catanduanes with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 70 kph and moving West Northwestward at a speed 20 kph.

On Tuesday, Pepito will bring moderate to heavy rains over Bicol Region, Quezon, Aurora, mainland Cagayan, and Isabela.

Light to moderate with at times heavy rains will be experienced over Metro Manila, CALABARZON, Cordillera Administrative Region, the rest of Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon, Romblon, Marinduque, Northern Samar, Samar, Eastern Samar, Zamboanga Peninsula, Bangsamoro, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 is hoisted over the folloding areas:

• Isabela
• Quirino
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Kalinga
• Mountain Province
• Ifugao
• Benguet
• La Union
• Pangasinan
• Aurora
• Nueva Ecija
• Tarlac
• Zambales
• Bulacan
• Pampanga
• Bataan
• Metro Manila
• Rizal
• the northern portion of Quezon (General Nakar, Infanta, Real) including Polillo Islands
• the extreme northern portion of Camarines Norte (Vinzons)
• Catanduanes

Flooding, including flashfloods, and rain-induced landslides may occur during heavy or prolonged rainfall especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards.

High winds, strong to near gale, will be experienced in areas under TCWS No. 1 within 36 hours of first raising of the wind signal.

High to gale-force winds with occasional gusts due to the northeasterly surface wind flow will be experienced over Batanes, Babuyan Islands, and the coastal and/or mountainous areas of mainland Cagayan, Apayao, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

Gale Warning is in effect over the seaboards of Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur due to rough to very rough seas.

The seaboards of areas under TCWS No. 1 will also experience rough to very rough seas. Sea travel is risky over these areas, especially for those using small seacrafts.

Moderate to rough seas will prevail over the western and eastern seaboards of Southern Luzon and the eastern seaboards of Eastern Visayas, Caraga, and Davao Region.

Those with small seacrafts are advised to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea. Inexperienced mariners should avoid navigating in these conditions. -- BAP, GMA News