‘Chedeng’ to exit PH on Monday; red alert lifted over Cebu City

Typhoon “Chedeng” (international name Maysak) may exit the country by tomorrow morning, the state weather bureau Pagasa said.

The typhoon may weaken further to   a tropical storm before it makes landfall today in Aurora province in Luzon.

By afternoon of Easter Sunday, Chedeng is expected to have exited the landmass through Ilocos Sur and be out of the Philippines area of responsibility by Monday.

In its 11 a,m. report, Pagasa said “Chedeng” was moving west northwest at 22 kilometers per hour (kph), up from 19 kph earlier in the morning.

It was located 450 east southeast of Casiguran, Aurora as of 10 a.m yesterday.

Chedeng’s maximum sustained winds remained at 130 kph near the center with gusts  up to 160 kph.

While 10 provinces in Luzon were placed under signal No. 2 and 15 provinces under storm signal No. 1, warm weather prevailed over Cebu on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak, who’s in charge of the city’s disaster risk reduction management council, said the red alert status was lfted yesterday morning in Cebu City.

Temperature was pegged at 30 degrees Celsius during those two days and rose to 33 degrees Celsius yesterday.

“We expected rain on Good Friday but it did not happen.  As of today, we no longer have any weather disturbance,” he told Cebu Daily News .

In Manila Pagasa said during a broadcast press briefing that the effects of typhoon Chedeng may be felt as early as last night.

More provinces were placed under public storm warning signal no. 2.

Pagasa said the provinces of Isabela, Southern Cagayan, Kalinga, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Aurora and Catanduanes can expect winds with speeds of 61 to 100 kph today.

Signal no. 1 remained up in the rest of Cagayan including Babuyan Island, Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, La Union, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal, Quezon, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur.

Its maximum sustained winds may also decrease when it hits land. Still, it warned that “Chedeng” remains a typhoon.

Path of destruction

Storm surges of up to two meters may be expected over the eastern coast of Aurora, Quezon and Isabela.

It is expected to reach the coast of Southern Isabela this morning and will immediately exit the landmass through  Ilocos Sur by Sunday afternoon.

Earlier, thousands of residents and tourists were told to leave the northeastern Philippine coastline ahead of typhoon Chedeng which barreled from the Pacific after killing four people and destroying hundreds of homes in Micronesia.