A typhoon approaching the country from the east will enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Wednesday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said yesterday.
In its 10:30 a.m. weather bulletin, the state weather bureau said the typhoon, which has an international name “Maysak,” was last located 2,810 km east of Mindanao. “Maysak” packed maximum sustained winds of 130 kph near the center and gusts of up to 160 kph.
It is moving in a westward direction at 20 kph.
Pagasa said “Maysak” was too far to affect any part of the country.
When “Maysak” enters the country, it will be named “Chedeng.”
According to the westernpacificweather.com, Maysak may hit the Yap islands, home to over 11,000 people as a very strong typhoon equivalent to category 4 hurricane.
“Mainly due to the high pressure to the north starting to weaken allowing Maysak to slow in the Philippine Sea. This should force the storm to weaken slightly but still should drift west making landfall as a typhoon somewhere in Luzon or Visayas,” said Robert Speta, operational meteorologist and founder of the westernpacificweather.com.
“The big thing I believe is this coming week, a lot of people will be traveling this coming weekend during the Holy Week in the Philippines. That means many people outside their homes and on ferries. Which puts people at risk,” Speta added./Inquirer with BenCyrus G. Ellorin