Ulysses maintains strength; Signal No. 3 remains over 19 areas

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 3 is still raised over 19 areas in Luzon as Typhoon Ulysses maintained its strength as it endangered the Quezon-Aurora area, PAGASA said Wednesday evening.

TCWS No. 3 is hoisted over the following areas as of 8 p.m.:

• the southern portion of Quirino (Maddela, Nagtipunan)
• the southern portion of Nueva Vizcaya (Alfonso Castaneda, Dupax Del Norte, Dupax Del Sur)
• Pangasinan
• Nueva Ecija
• Aurora
• Tarlac
• Zambales
• Bataan
• Pampanga
• Bulacan
• Metro Manila
• Rizal
• Cavite
• Laguna
• the northern and central portions of Quezon (General Nakar, Infanta, Real, Mauban, Sampaloc, Lucban, Tayabas City, Sariaya, Candelaria, Dolores, Tiaong, San Antonio, Lucena City, Pagbilao, Atimonan, Padre Burgos, Unisan, Agdangan, Gumaca, Plaridel, Pitogo, Macalelon, Lopez, General Luna, Catanauan, Buenavista, Guinayangan, Tagkawayan, Calauag, Quezon, Alabat, Perez) including Polillo Islands
• Batangas
• Catanduanes
• Camarines Norte
• the northern portion of Camarines Sur (Del Gallego, Ragay, Lupi, Sipocot, Cabusao, Bombon, Calabanga, Tinambac, Siruma, Goa, Lagonoy, San Jose, Garchitorena, Presentacion, Caramoan)

TCWS No. 2 is up over the following areas:

• the rest of Quirino
• the rest of Nueva Vizcaya
• the southern portion of Benguet (Bokod, Itogon, Tublay, La Trinidad, Sablan, Baguio City, Tuba)
• the southern portion of La Union (Burgos, Naguilian, Bauang, Caba, Aringay, Tubao, Pugo, Santo Tomas, Rosario, Agoo)
• the rest of Quezon
• Marinduque
• the northern portion of Occidental Mindoro (Paluan, Abra de Ilog) including Lubang Island
• the northern portion of Oriental Mindoro (Pola, Victoria, Naujan, Baco, Calapan City, San Teodoro, Puerto Galera)
• the rest of Camarines Sur
• Albay
• Sorsogon
• Burias and Ticao Islands

Meanwhile, TCWS No. 1 is raised over the following:

Luzon

• Isabela
• Kalinga
• Mountain Province
• Ifugao
• the rest of Benguet
• Abra
• Ilocos Sur
• the rest of La Union
• the rest of Occidental Mindoro
• the rest of Oriental Mindoro
• Romblon
• the rest of Masbate

Visayas

• Northern Samar
• the northern portion of Samar (Santo Nino, Almagro, Tagapul-An, Tarangnan, Calbayog City, Santa Margarita, Gandara, Pagsanghan, San Jorge, San Jose de Buan, Matuguinao)
• the northern portion of Eastern Samar (Maslog, Dolores, Oras, San Policarpo, Arteche, Jipapad)

PAGASA said the eye of Ulysses was located 65 kilometers north of Daet, Camarines Norte at 7 p.m. with maximum sustained winds of 140 km per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 195 kph. It is moving west southwestward at 15 kph.

PAGASA said the center of Ulysses made a close approach in the vicinity of Calaguas Islands at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. It is forecasted to make landfall over Polillo Islands between 10 p.m. on Wednesday and 12 a.m. on Thursday.

Afterwards, PAGASA said Ulysses will cross Central Luzon and emerge over the western seaboard of Zambales on Wednesday morning.

The weather bureau said Ulysses may reach its peak intensity of 140 to 155 kph prior to landfall. The typhoon may also slightly weaken as it crosses mainland Luzon due to frictional effects in the presence of the Sierra Madre and Zambales mountain ranges. However, it is still likely to remain a typhoon throughout its traverse.

Hazards

PAGASA said destructive winds and intense, with at times, torrential rainfall associated with the region of the eyewall and inner rainbands of Ulysses will be experienced over the northern portion of Camarines Norte until Wednesday night and over Aurora and the northern portion of Quezon from Wednesday night to Thursday morning.

Throughout the passage of the typhoon, PAGASA said destructive typhoon-force winds will prevail in areas under TCWS No. 3, while damaging gale to storm-force winds will be experienced in areas under TCWS No. 2. Strong breeze to near gale conditions will also prevail in areas under TCWS No. 1.

Meanwhile, PAGASA said the rest of Northern Luzon will experience strong breeze to gale-force winds due to the surge of the northeast monsoon.

Between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, heavy to intense, with at times, torrential rains will prevail over Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Metro Manila, CALABARZON, Aurora, Bulacan, Pampanga, and Bataan, while moderate to heavy, with at times, intense rains will be experienced over the Cordillera Administrative Region, mainland Cagayan Valley, Catanduanes, Marinduque, the northern portion of Mindoro Provinces, and the rest of Central Luzon.

PAGASA added light to moderate, with at times, heavy rains will also prevail over the rest of Luzon and Visayas.

Between Thursday morning and afternoon, heavy to intense rains will prevail over mainland Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, CALABARZON, and the northern portion of Mindoro Provinces, while light to moderate, with at times, heavy rains will be experienced over Western Visayas and the rest of Luzon.

PAGASA advised affected residents to prepare for possible flash floods, landslides and sediment-laden streamflows during heavy or prolonged rainfall.

PAGASA also said there is a high risk of storm surge with heights up to 3.0 meters over the coastal areas of Aurora, Quezon including Polillo Islands, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, and the northern and eastern coastal areas of Camarines Sur, while a storm surge of up to 2.0 m might be experienced over the coastal areas of La Union, Pangasinan, Isabela, Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, northern portions of Mindoro Provinces including Lubang Island, Marinduque, Romblon, Masbate including Ticao and Burias Islands, Albay, and Sorsogon, and the remaining coastal areas of Camarines Sur.

“These storm surges, which may be accompanied by swells and/or breaking waves near the coast, can cause life-threatening and damaging coastal inundation. Moreover, there is also a moderate risk of seiche or storm surge over the coastal areas surrounding Laguna de Bay,” PAGASA said.

Moreover, within the next 24 hours, rough to very high seas (2.5 to 10.0 m) will prevail over the seaboards of areas under TCWS and the eastern seaboard of Eastern Samar currently not under TCWS No. 2.

PAGASA said the surge of the northeast monsoon will also bring rough to high seas (3.0 to 6.0 m) over the remaining seaboards of Northern Luzon and rough seas (2.5 to 3.5 m) over the seaboards of Kalayaan Islands.

Moderate to rough seas (1.5 to 2.5 m) will also prevail over the western seaboards of Palawan including Calamian Islands, and the eastern seaboards of Mindanao.

“Mariners of small seacrafts are advised to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea. Inexperienced mariners should avoid navigating in these conditions,” PAGASA said.—LDF, GMA News