Romina to intensify into tropical storm; Kalayaan Islands under Signal 1

Signal No. 1 remains raised over the Kalayaan Islands as Tropical Depression  Romina is expected to intensify into a tropical storm within the next 12 hours.

In its 8 p.m. tropical cyclone bulletin, PAGASA  reported that Romina was located over the coastal waters of Gomez Reef,  Kalayaan, Palawan, outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

Romina currently has maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph)  near its center and gusts of up to 70 kph, moving northward at 35 kph.

PAGASA stated that Signal No. 2 might be the highest wind signal issued for  Romina.

Meanwhile, a gale warning has been raised over the northern and western seaboard of Northern Luzon and the western seaboard of Southern Luzon.

"Romina may pass near the southern portion of the Kalayaan Islands within the next 24 hours," PAGASA said.

Although Romina is likely to briefly intensify into a tropical storm, it is expected to weaken back into a tropical depression for the rest of the forecast period.

The depression is also predicted to shift northwestward or west-northwestward during this time. — DVM, GMA Integrated News