Maring passes close to Camiguin Island; Signal 2 up over 9 areas –PAGASA

Severe Tropical Storm Maring passed close to southern Camiguin Island, Cagayan on Monday night, PAGASA reported in an 8 p.m. severe weather bulletin.

At 7 p.m. Maring was located over the coastal waters of Aparri, Cagayan with maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour near the center, gustiness of up to 115 kph, and a central pressure of 980 hPa.

It is moving westward at 25 kph.

The center of Maring was expected to pass very close to the Babuyan Islands on Monday night.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 was still raised over:

• Batanes
• Cagayan including Babuyan Islands
• the northern portion of Isabela (Palanan, Divilacan, Maconacon, Ilagan City, Tumauini, Cabagan, San Pablo, Santa Maria, Santo Tomas, Delfin Albano, Quirino, Gamu, Roxas, Mallig, Quezon)
• Apayao
• Kalinga
• Mountain Province
• Abra
• Ilocos Norte
• Ilocos Sur

TCWS No. 1 was meanwhile hoisted over:

• the rest of Isabela
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Quirino
• Ifugao
• Benguet
• La Union
• Pangasinan
• Aurora
• Nueva Ecija
• Tarlac
• Zambales
• Pampanga
• Bulacan
• the northern portion of Bataan (Samal, Morong, Dinalupihan, Abucay, Orani, Hermosa)
• the northern portion of Quezon (General Nakar, Infanta) including Polillo Islands

From Monday night to Tuesday morning, PAGASA said Maring would bring heavy to intense, with at times torrential rains, over Batanes, the northern portion of mainland Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Apayao, Abra, Mountain Province, and Benguet; while moderate to heavy, with at times intense rains, would be experienced over the rest of mainland Cagayan, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Ilocos Region.

Light to moderate with at times heavy rains will also prevail over Central Luzon and the rest of Cagayan Valley.

"Under these conditions, scattered flash floods and rain-induced landslides are highly likely especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards as identified in hazard maps," PAGASA warned.

Under the influence of the southwest monsoon enhanced by Maring, PAGASA said monsoon rains are possible over Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, and Oriental Mindoro in the next 24 hours.

Gale to storm-force strength winds will be experienced in areas under TCWS No. 2, while strong winds (strong breeze to near gale conditions) with higher gusts will be felt in areas under TCWS No. 1

Occasional gusts reaching strong to gale force in strength are also possible over the island, coastal, and upland/mountain localities of the Visayas, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Camiguin, Zamboanga del Norte, and the rest of Luzon due to the expansive wind field of Maring and the enhanced southwest monsoon.

A gale warning is also in effect for the seaboards of Southern Luzon and the Visayas, the western seaboard of Central Luzon, and the eastern, northern, and western seaboards of Mindanao.

Further, in the next 24 hours, rough to high seas (2.8 to 7.5 meters) will be experienced over the seaboards of areas under TCWS No. 1 and 2.

Within the same period, moderate to rough seas (1.2 to 2.8 m) will prevail over the remaining seaboards of the country, PAGASA added.

"These conditions are risky for those using small sea crafts. Mariners are advised to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea and, if possible, avoid navigating in these conditions," PAGASA warned. — DVM, GMA News