Signal No. 3 up in parts of Cagayan, Isabela due to Typhoon Egay

Parts of Cagayan and Isabela provinces were placed under Signal No. 3 as Typhoon Egay steadily intensifies while heading north-northwestward, PAGASA said Monday evening.

In its 11 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA the center of the typhoon was last seen 425 kilometers east-northeast of Baler, Aurora, or 365 km east of Casiguran, Aurora.

It is packing maximum sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 205 kph while moving north-northwestward at 15 kph.

Storm Signal no. 3 is hoisted in the following area where winds of greater than 89 kph up to 117 kph may be expected in at least 18 hours.

• Eastern portion of mainland Cagayan (Santa Ana, Gonzaga, Peñablanca, Baggao, Gattaran, Lal-Lo)
• Northeastern portion of Isabela (Divilacan, Maconacon)

Meanwhile, Signal No.2 is up in the following localities, where winds of greater than 62 kph and up to 88 kph may be expected in at least 24 hours.

• Batanes
• Babuyan Islands
• Rest of mainland Cagayan
• Rest of Isabela, Quirino
• Northern portion of Nueva Vizcaya (Kasibu, Quezon, Diadi, Bagabag, Ambaguio, Villaverde, Solano, Bayombong)
• Apayao
• Kalinga
• Abra
• Mountain Province
• Ifugao
• Northern portion of Benguet (Bakun, Mankayan, Buguias, Kabayan, Kibungan)
• Ilocos Norte
• Ilocos Sur
• Northern and central portion of Aurora (Dilasag, Casiguran, Dinalungan, Dipaculao)

Storm Signal No. 1 was raised in the following areas, where PAGASA said winds of 39 kph to 61 kph may be expected in at least 36 hours. Intermittent rains may also be expected within 36 hours.

Luzon

• La Union
• Pangasinan
• Rest of Benguet
• Rest of Nueva Vizcaya
• Rest of Aurora
• Zambales
• Bataan
• Nueva Ecija
• Tarlac
• Pampanga
• Bulacan
• Metro Manila
• Rizal
• Laguna
• Cavite
• Batangas
• Quezon
• Marinduque
• Central and eastern portions of Romblon (Banton, Corcuera, Romblon, Magdiwang, Cajidiocan, San Fernando)
• Camarines Norte
• Camarines Sur
• Catanduanes
• Albay
• Sorsogon
• Masbate

Visayas

• Northern Samar
• Northern and central portions of Samar (Almagro, Tagapul-An, Santo Niño, Daram, Zumarraga, Villareal, Talalora, Hinabangan, Calbiga, Pinabacdao, Paranas, Motiong, San Sebastian, Jiabong, City of Catbalogan, San Jose de Buan, Matuguinao, San Jorge, Tarangnan, Gandara, Pagsanghan, Santa Margarita, Calbayog City)
• Northern and central portions of Eastern Samar (City of Borongan, San Julian, Sulat, Taft, Can-Avid, Oras, Arteche, Jipapad, Dolores, San Policarpo, Maslog)
• Biliran

Heavy rainfall

Heavy rainfall accumulating to 100 to 200 millimeters is expected in the northeastern portion of mainland Cagayan from Monday evening to Tuesday evening, PAGASA said.

At least 50 to 100 mm of accumulated rainfall may be experienced in Batanes, Babuyan Islands, the rest of mainland Cagayan, Isabela, Apayao, Abra, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Catanduanes, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay.

“Under these conditions, flooding and rain-induced landslides are possible, especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards as identified in hazard maps and in localities that experienced considerable amounts of rainfall for the past several days,” PAGASA warned.

The enhanced Southwest Monsoon will continue to bring occasional to monsoon rains over the western portions of Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, and Visayas in the next three days.

Strong winds

Meanwhile, PAGASA said areas under storm signal no. 3 may experience moderate to significant impacts from storm-force winds.  Minor to moderate impacts from gale-force winds are possible within any of the areas under signal no. 2 while minimal to minor impacts from strong winds are also possible within any of the areas where storm Signal No. 1 was issued.

The weather bureau also said there is a high risk of storm surge in the coastal areas of Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, and the extreme northern portion of Ilocos Sur which may cause flooding in the low-lying areas.

“Maximum surge heights may reach 2.0 m in most of the warning areas, with some localities exceeding 2.0 m surge heights,” PAGASA said.

Marine gale warning

A marine gale warning likewise remains in effect over the seaboards of Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, and Visayas and eastern seaboards of Central Luzon and Northeastern Mindanao.

Mariners of small seacrafts are advised to take precautionary measures when venturing over these waters.

“In the next 24 hours, Egay may also bring moderate to rough seas (2.0 to 3.5 m) over the coastal waters outside the Gale Warning area along the western, northern, and eastern seaboards of Mindanao,” PAGASA said.

Forecast track

On the forecast track, Egay is seen to move northwestward in the next 12 hours before turning generally west-northwestward and crossing the Luzon Strait.

The typhoon is expected to make landfall or pass very close to the Babuyan Islands between Wednesday early morning and Wednesday afternoon. A slight northward or southward shift in this segment of the track may result in a landfall or close approach over northern mainland Cagayan or Batanes.

After passing the Babuyan Islands, Egay will turn northwestward or north-northwestward and pass over the waters south of Taiwan. It is forecast to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning.

Outside the PAR, the typhoon will cross the Taiwan Strait and make landfall in the vicinity of Fujian, China on Thursday evening or Friday morning.

Egay is forecast to continue intensifying and reach the super typhoon category within 24 hours. However, should the track forecast shift closer to the landmass of Luzon, the typhoon may peak at an intensity just below the supertyphoon threshold.

A weakening trend may begin as the typhoon passes over the Babuyan Islands due to the potential onset of the eyewall replacement cycle and interaction with the rugged terrain of Northern Luzon. Further weakening is expected outside the PAR region due to an increasingly unfavorable environment and the eventual landfall over the landmass of China.—LDF, GMA Integrated News