Debunking a false claim regarding a supposed ‘supertyphoon’ that had already hit the Philippines, state weather agency PAGASA clarified on Thursday that the trending social media post on a certain “Super Typhoon Lakas” is completely fake.
The post, which made the rounds online, falsely claimed that a tropical cyclone the strength of Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 with winds up to 250 kilometers per hour, had arrived in the country.
“Isang post ang kumakalat tungkol sa diumano'y mala-Yolanda na bagyo na tatama sa bansa. Iwasan ang PANINIWALA at PAG-SHARE ng impormasyon mula sa mga hindi kumpirmado at hindi reliable na sources,” said PAGASA’s advisory through its official Facebook account.
The weather bureau’s statement implies that, as of writing, no tropical cyclones are detected within the Philippine Area of Responsiblity (PAR).
PAGASA, however, noted through its daily forecast the existence of a low pressure area (LPA) that “will bring heavy to intense rains” over areas in MIMAROPA, as well as in Batangas, Aklan, and Antique.
For the same reason, modern to heavy rains are also expected over Metro Manila, Bataan, parts of CALABARZON, Western Visayas, Negros Occidental and Oriental, Misamis Occidental, and other nearby provinces.
For Friday, July 19, Friday, “heavy to intense rains are likely over Occidental Mindoro and the northern portion of Palawan including Calamian, Cuyo, and Kalayaan Islands, while moderate to heavy rains will likely remain over Bataan, Cavite, Batangas, Western Visayas, Negros Occidental, and the rest of MIMAROPA. Mindoro, and the northern portion of Palawan including Calamian and Kalayaan Islands.