Bebinca weakens into storm but still enhances Habagat with intense rains — PAGASA

Tropical Cyclone Bebinca has downgraded into a storm on Friday but it continues to enhance the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat that will bring up to intense rains, state weather bureau PAGASA said.

In its 11 a.m. advisory, PAGASA said Bebinca is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) Friday afternoon or evening but will remain far from the Philippine landmass.

The storm was located 1,500 kilometers east of Extreme Northern Luzon, packing maximum sustained winds of 85 km per hour with gustiness of up to 105 kph, and central pressure of 992 hPa.

PAGASA said Bebinca was moving north northwestward at 20 kph with strong to gale-force winds extending outwards up to 680 km from the center.

Enhanced by Bebinca, Habagat is expected to bring the following weather conditions in different parts of the country in the next 24 hours:

Heavy to intense rains

• MIMAROPA
• Western Visayas
• Sorsogon
• Masbate
• Negros Occidental

Moderate to heavy rains

• Zambales
• Bataan
• Metro Manila
• CALABARZON
• the rest of Bicol
• the rest of the Visayas
• Misamis Occidental
• Zamboanga del Norte
• Lanao del Norte
• Lanao del Sur
• Maguindanao
• Sultan Kudarat
• Sarangani

Moderate to rough seas of up to 3.5 meters are expected over the seaboards of some areas in the country, according to PAGASA.

It added that Bebinca is seen to exit the PAR on Friday evening or early Saturday morning.

“In the near term, BEBINCA will remain as a tropical storm and further weakening is not ruled out,” PAGASA said.

“However, it is forecast to re-intensify into a severe tropical storm tomorrow and may even reach typhoon category over the East China Sea,” it added. — Joviland Rita/RSJ GMA Integrated News