MANILA, Philippines — Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals may be raised as early as Saturday afternoon (July 22) in parts of the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas even as Tropical Depression Egay has maintained its strength and speed.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Egay’s position was last marked 815 kilometers east of Southeastern Luzon. It was still packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 70 kph as it was slowly moving west-northwestward at 10 kph.
“Posible tayong magtaas ng wind signals o babala sa hangin dito sa area ng Bicol Region and Visayas, pinakamaaga na po ngayong hapon. Maaaring mas marami pang lugar ang itaas natin ng wind signal sa mga susunod na araw,” said Pagasa’s Benison Estareja during a public weather forecast.
(We may raise wind signals in the Bicol Region and Visayas area as early as Saturday afternoon. We may raise wind signals in more areas in the next few days.)
Egay is expected to intensify into a tropical storm this Saturday and may become a super typhoon by Tuesday (July 25) or Wednesday (July 26) while over the Philippine Sea east of extreme northern Luzon.
Heavy rainfall, other hazards
Beginning Monday, Pagasa said Egay may directly affect Catanduanes, possibly dumping at least 50 to 100 millimeters of rainfall over the area.
Pagasa added that Egay will also enhance the southwest monsoon, locally termed habagat, to trigger occasional rain in Western Visayas, Occidental Mindoro, and the northern portion of Palawan, including Calamian Islands starting Sunday, July 23.
Windy conditions are also predicted to prevail over the western and southern portions of Visayas, northern portions of Northern Mindanao and Caraga, Romblon, and Masbate by Sunday.
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