Inday intensifies further while moving over Philippine Sea

Typhoon Inday intensified further while moving over the Philippine Sea, weather bureau PAGASA said Saturday. 

At 4 p.m., the center of the eye of Inday was located 395 kilometers east of Itbayat, Batanes, with maximum sustained winds of 130 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 160 km/h.

It was moving northwestward at 10 km/h.

“Typhoon Inday remains less likely to directly bring heavy rains in the country throughout the forecast period. However, its trough and the Southwest Monsoon may bring rains over extreme Northern Luzon and the western sections of Central and Southern Luzon,” PAGASA said in its 5 p.m. bulletin. 

“The latest forecast scenario for Inday shows that while the hoisting of Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals remains less likely at this time, further westward shift in the track forecast and/or expansion in the extent of tropical cyclone winds may result in the hoisting of wind signals over portions of extreme Northern Luzon,” it added.

A gale warning is in effect for the northern seaboards of Northern Luzon. 

Inday is expected to decelerate northwestward over the Philippine Sea Saturday through Monday as it tracks towards the sea east of Taiwan before turning slowly north northwestward to northward on Monday afternoon.

The typhoon may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday early morning.

Outside the PAR, Inday will start to accelerate generally north northwestward while moving over the East China Sea.  — VBL, GMA News