Falcon intensifies further while over Philippine Sea

Tropical Storm Falcon intensified further while over the Philippine Sea, the state weather bureau PAGASA said late Saturday night.

Falcon now has maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 105 km/h, PAGASA said in its 11 p.m. bulletin.

At 10 p.m., Falcon's center was located 1,210 km east of Central Luzon or 1,235 km east of northern Luzon. It was moving north northwestward at 15 km/h.

PAGASA said raising tropical cyclone wind signals remains unlikely, but the enhanced Southwest Monsoon will bring gusty conditions over the following areas:

• Saturday and Sunday: Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Romblon, Northern Samar, and most of Calabarzon, Bicol Region, and Western Visayas.

• Monday: Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Romblon, Northern Samar, and most of Calabarzon, Bicol Region, and Western Visayas.

• Tuesday: Ilocos Region, Abra, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Bicol Region, and most of Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Western Visayas

A gale warning is in effect over coastal waters along the western seaboard of Luzon and Visayas, which means sea travel is risky for small vessels.

''Falcon is forecast to steadily intensify within the next three days. It is forecast to become a typhoon between tomorrow late evening [and] Monday morning and reach its peak intensity on Tuesday," PAGASA said.

''On the track forecast, the tropical storm may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Monday afternoon or evening.'' — Jiselle Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News