As of 5 p.m., the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Nika’s center was seen in the vicinity of Besao, Mountain Province.
It was packing maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center with gustiness of up to 200 kph.
“Inaasahan natin na today nga po ay babaybayin talaga niya o magta-traverse siya sa landmass ng northern at central Luzon. Eventually ay lalabas din po ito sa coastal waters ng Ilocos Sur this evening,” said Pagasa weather specialist Loriedin De La Cruz – Galicia.
(We expect that today, Nika will traverse or pass through the landmass of northern and central Luzon. Eventually, it will also exit into the coastal waters of Ilocos Sur this evening.)
“It will continue to move west-northwestward over the West Philippine Sea and eventually exit our Philippine area of responsibility by tomorrow,” she continued.
Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 4 remains hoisted in the following areas:
- Kalinga
- Mountain Province
- Northern portion of Ifugao
- Central and Southern portion of Abra
- Northern and Central portion of Ilocos Sur
TCWS No. 3 is likewise in effect in the following places:
- Northern portion of Quirino
- Northeastern portion of Nueva Vizcaya
- Central portion of Isabela
- Southwestern portion of Cagayan
- Southern portion of Apayao
- The rest of Abra
- The rest of Ifugao
- Northern portion of Benguet
- Southern portion of Ilocos Norte
- The rest of Ilocos Sur
Meanwhile, TCWS No. 2 is raised in the following areas:
- Northwestern and eastern portions of Cagayan
- The rest of Isabela
- The rest of Nueva Vizcaya
- The rest of Quirino
- The rest of Apayao
- The rest of Benguet
- The rest of Ilocos Norte
- La Union
- Northeastern portion of Pangasinan
- Northern and central portions of Aurora
- Northern portion of Nueva Ecija
Lastly, the following areas are under TCWS No. 1:
- Babuyan Islands
- The rest of mainland Cagayan
- The rest of Pangasinan
- The rest of Aurora
- The rest of Nueva Ecija
- Bulacan
- Pampanga
- Tarlac
- Northern and Central portions of Zambales
- Northeastern portion of Quezon, including Polillo Islands