Signal No. 2 up in 21 areas as Kristine nears Lingayen Gulf

Signal No. 2 was hoisted over more than 20 areas in Luzon as Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami) moved toward Lingayen Gulf, the state weather bureau PAGASA said Thursday evening.

In its 8 p.m. bulletin, Signal No. 2 was raised over the following areas:

• Cagayan including Babuyan Islands
• Isabela
• Quirino
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Apayao
• Kalinga
• Abra
• Ifugao
• Mountain Province
• Benguet
• Ilocos Norte
• Ilocos Sur
• La Union
• Pangasinan
• Aurora
• Nueva Ecija
• Tarlac
• Zambales
• Bataan
• Pampanga
• Bulacan
• Metro Manila
• the northern portion of Cavite (Ternate, Maragondon, Naic, Tanza, City of General Trias, Rosario, Cavite City, Noveleta, Kawit, Imus City, Bacoor City)
• the northern portion of Rizal (Cainta, Taytay, Angono, San Mateo, Rodriguez, Tanay, City of Antipolo, Baras, Teresa, Morong)
• the northern portion of mainland Quezon (General Nakar)

''Due to the short-term wobbling in the motion of Kristine over Lingayen Gulf and the increasing size of the wind field of the severe tropical storm, Metro Manila and portions of Cavite, Rizal, and mainland Quezon were reinstated under Wind Signal No. 2,'' PAGASA said.

Meanwhile, the following areas are under Signal No. 1:

• Batanes
• the rest of Rizal
• the rest of Cavite
• Batangas
• Laguna
• the rest of Quezon
• Occidental Mindoro
• Oriental Mindoro
• Marinduque
• Romblon
• the northern portion of mainland Palawan (El Nido, Taytay, Araceli, San Vicente, Dumaran, Roxas) including Calamian, Cuyo, and, Kalayaan Islands
• Camarines Norte
• Camarines Sur
• Catanduanes
• Albay
• Sorsogon
• Masbate including Ticao and Burias Islands
• Aklan
• Capiz
• Antique including Caluya Islands
• Iloilo
• Bantayan Island
• the western portion of Northern Samar (Lope de Vega, Rosario, Biri, San Isidro, Capul, San Vicente, Victoria, Lavezares, San Antonio, Mondragon, San Jose, Catarman, San Roque, Allen, Bobon)
• the northern portion of Samar (Calbayog City, Tagapul-An)

State meteorologists warned of minimal to moderate risk of storm surge with peak heights of around 1.0 to 2.0 m above normal tide levels in the next 48 hours over the low-lying or coastal localities of Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, and Zambales.

At 7 p.m., Kristine was spotted over the coastal waters of Bacnotan, La Union, with maximum sustained winds of 95 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 145 km/h, moving westward slowly.

It will then move westward or west northwestward over the West Philippine Sea and exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility Friday afternoon.  

PAGASA said Kristine will be looping over the West Philippine Sea on Sunday and Monday and move eastward or east northwestward towards the general direction of the PAR region.

“This scenario heavily depends on the behavior of the weather disturbance east of the PAR region which is expected to develop into a tropical depression within the next 24 hours,” it said.

“Kristine is forecast to re-intensify as it moves over the West Philippine Sea. While it is likely that the tropical cyclone will remain a severe tropical storm in the next five days, the chance for it to be upgraded into a typhoon is not ruled out,” it added. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/VBL, GMA Integrated News