Signal No. 2 up over 9 areas as Maring moves to West Philippine Sea

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 was raised over nine areas as Severe Tropical Storm Maring (international name: Kompasu) continued to move toward the West Philippine Sea, PAGASA said on Tuesday.

In its 8 a.m. bulletin, PAGASA said the following areas are under Signal No. 2:

• 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

Meanwhile, Signal No. 1 was raised over the following areas:

• 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

At 7 a.m., Maring was located at 230 kilometers west of Calayan, Cagayan, with maximum sustained winds of 100 km per hour, gustiness of up to 125 km/h, and central pressure of 975 hPa. It was moving westward at 25 km/h.

PAGASA said Maring has strong winds or higher that extend outwards up to 850 km from the center.

Maring will exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) this Tuesday morning or afternoon, PAGASA said.

Rains

Heavy to intense rains will be experienced over Ilocos Region, Benguet, Ifugao, Abra, and Mountain Province.

Moderate to heavy rains are expected over Zambales, Bataan, Tarlac, and the rest of Cordillera Administrative Region.

Light to moderate with at times heavy rains will be experienced over Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley, and the rest Central Luzon.

PAGASA warned of possible scattered to widespread flooding including flash floods as well as rain-induced landslides in areas that are prone to these hazards.

Due to the Southwest Monsoon enhanced by Maring, PAGASA said monsoon rains are possible over Western Visayas, Palawan, and Occidental Mindoro in the next 24 hours.

Winds

Winds will continue to reach gale-force to storm-force strength in areas under Signal No. 2 that may cause light to moderate damage to structures and vegetation.

Strong winds (strong breeze to near gale conditions) with higher gusts will continue in areas under Signal No. 1 that may result in very light damage to structures and vegetation.

Due to the expansive wind field of Maring and the enhanced Southwest Monsoon, gusty conditions reaching strong to gale-force in strength are expected over Visayas, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Camiguin, Zamboanga del Norte, and the rest of Luzon in the next 24 hours.

Storm surge

A minimal to moderate risk of life-threatening storm surge up to 1.0 meter in height may occur in the next 24 hours, the PAGASA said.

Rising sea water along with the high waves from the shoreline moving inland may cause flooding in the low-lying coastal localities of Batanes, northern Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, and Ilocos Norte, PAGASA added.

Rough to high seas up to 7.5 meters are expected over the seaboards of areas under Signal No. 1 and 2.

“These conditions are risky for all types of sea vessels. Mariners are advised to remain in port or take shelter in port until winds and waves subside,” PAGASA warned.

A gale warning is still up over the seaboards of Southern Luzon and Visayas as well as the western, eastern, and northern seaboards of Mindanao.

Moderate to rough seas with waves up to 2.5 meters will prevail over the remaining seaboards of the country.

“These conditions are risky for those using small seacrafts. Mariners are advised to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea and, if possible, avoid navigating in these conditions” PAGASA warned.

Effects

Four people have been initially reported dead in Cagayan and Cordillera regions due to Maring, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Tuesday.

NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said among the reported fatalities were three minors who died due to a landslide in La Trinidad, Benguet. He said the NDRRMC is still validating the information.

The other fatality, the NDRRMC said, was from Cayagan province.

Classes have been canceled in some areas due to the bad weather.

The Ambuklao and Binga Dams in Benguet opened some of their gates to release water. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News