Signal No. 2 up in Batanes as Siony moves over Bashi Channel

Batanes province remains under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 as Severe Tropical Storm Siony maintains its strength while moving over Bashi Channel, PAGASA said on Friday.

TCWS No. 2, meanwhile, was lowered to No. 1 in Babuyan Islands, according to the state weather bureau's 11 a.m. bulletin.

Batanes is expected to experience damaging gale- to storm-force winds, while Babuyan Islands is currently experiencing strong breeze to near gale conditions, PAGASA said.

Siony is expected to maintain its strength in the next 12 hours and then weaken due to increasingly unfavorable conditions associated with a surge of northeasterlies over the West Philippine Sea.

PAGASA said Siony is forecast to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Friday evening.

Siony will be moving westward to west-northwestward and pass over the sea off the southern coast of Taiwan within 12 hours.

The severe tropical storm is seen to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) this Friday night. Afterwards, Siony will turn southwestward Saturday morning over the sea to the southwest of Taiwan and move over the West Philippine Sea.

In an interview on Unang Balita, Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco said she already made rounds in the province to check the situation.

Cayco said residents, especially those whose homes are made of light materials, have prepared for the typhoon.

"Mula kaninang 2:30 a.m., napakalakas po ng hangin ho dito at ulan at ang lalaki ho ng alon hanggang ngayon... Umikot na po ako at nakita ko po ang kalagayan ng Basco at mayroong mga nahulog na sanga ng puno pero wala ho akong nadaanan na landslide. Okay naman po kami dito sa ngayon," Cayco said.

She said only a couple was preemptively evacuated in preparation for Siony.

Rainfall forecast

Meanwhile, PAGASA said moderate to heavy rains are also over Batanes and Babuyan Islands, where flooding (including flashfloods) and rain-induced landslides may occur during heavy or prolonged rainfall especially in areas identified in geohazard maps as highly or very highly susceptible to the hazards.

It also said there remains a minimal to moderate risk of storm surge of up to 2.0 m over the coastal areas of Batanes and Babuyan Islands Storm in the next 24 hours.

Rough to high seas (3.0 to 8.0 m) are expected to prevail over the coastal waters of Batanes and Babuyan Islands while the northern seaboards of Ilocos Norte, Apayao, and Cagayan and areas under gale warning will be experiencing rough to very rough seas (3.0 to 4.5 m) in the next 24 hours.

Moderate to rough seas (1.5 to 3.0 m) will be experienced over the western seaboard of Central Luzon and the eastern seaboards of Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, PAGASA added.

Mariners of small seacrafts are thus advised to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea, while inexperienced mariners should avoid navigating in the said conditions.

Siony

As of 10 a.m. on Friday, the center of Severe Tropical Storm Siony was estimated based on all available data at 50 km northwest of Itbayat, Batanes. It is moving westward at 20 kph with maximum sustained winds of 95 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 115 kph.

LPA outside PAR

Meanwhile, a Low Pressure Area outside PAR was estimated at 1,195 km east of Mindanao, which is forecasted to move generally west-northwestward or northwestward and may enter the PAR this Friday afternoon or evening.

It is heading towards the direction of Eastern Visayas and may likely reach the area on Saturday afternoon or evening.

The weather disturbance may develop into Tropical Depression Tonyo within the next 48 hours.—KBK, GMA News