Lawin now a typhoon; Samar provinces under Signal 1

The Samar provinces in Eastern Visayas were placed under Storm Signal No. 1 as Tropical Cyclone Lawin (Jelawat) intensified into a typhoon before noon Sunday. PAGASA's 11 a.m. advisory said Lawin moved closer to the Samar provinces and was estimated at 330 km east of Borongan in Eastern Samar as of 10 a.m. It said Lawin packed maximum sustained winds of 120 kph near the center and gustiness of up 150 kph. Lawin was moving northwest at 7 kph and is expected to be 335 km east of Virac, Catanduanes Monday morning, and 525 km east of Infanta, Quezon Tuesday morning. By Wednesday morning it is expected to be 420 km east of Casiguran, Aurora. "Residents living in low-lying and mountainous areas under public storm warning Signal 1 are alerted against possible flash floods and landslides," PAGASA said. Also, it said Lawin may bring rainfall of 10 to 20 mm per hour (heavy to intense) within its 600-km diameter. Meanwhile, PAGASA said Lawin will enhance the southwest monsoon and will bring light to moderate rain in Western Visayas and Mindanao. It advised fishing boats and other small sea craft not to venture out into the eastern seaboard of Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao due to big waves generated by Lawin. — LBG, GMA News