Hanna maintains strength, may exit PAR Monday

Typhoon Hanna maintained its strength while moving over the sea east of Taiwan, the state weather bureau PAGASA said late Saturday evening.

Batanes remained under Signal No. 1 as Hanna, carrying maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 170 km/h, was spotted 295 km northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, at 10 p.m.

It was moving west northwestward at 20 km/h.

Meanwhile, the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat), which is currently enhanced by Hanna, will bring occasional to monsoon rains over the western portion of Luzon and Antique in the next three days. 

A gale warning is in effect for the northern and western seaboards of Luzon, the eastern seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon, portions of the seaboards of Northern Quezon, the southern seaboard of Southern Luzon, and the western seaboard of Visayas due to the combined influence of Hanna and the enhanced Southwest Monsoon. 

Hanna is forecast to move west northwestward or westward while intensifying until it makes landfall along the east coast of southern Taiwan on Sunday afternoon or evening. 

It is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility and emerge over the Taiwan Strait on Monday morning.