PAGASA: Yolanda to exit PAR 1-2 pm, weather to start improving Sunday

A weakened Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility at 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, state weather forecasters said.

PAGASA forecaster Jun Galang said Yolanda is heading for Vietnam, with winds of 175 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 210 kph.

"Mga 1 o 2 p.m., mamayang hapon labas na ng PAR (It is forecast to exit the PAR at 1 to 2 p.m.)," he said in an interview on government-run dzRB radio, when asked what time it will exit the PAR.

He said the weather will start to generally improve by Sunday.

On the other hand, he said two to three more cyclones are expected in December.

Meanwhile, PAGASA forecaster Fernando Cada said Yolanda could soon be stricken off the list of Philippine cyclone names.

In an interview on dzBB radio, Cada said they are now waiting for a final official assessment of the extent of damage caused by the cyclone.

He said one condition for Yolanda to be stricken off the list is if it causes at least P1 billion in damage.

Another condition is if the cyclone caused at least 300 deaths.

"Kung umabot ng P1 billion, posibleng tanggalin ang pangalan (Once the estimated damage reaches P1 billion, we can remove it from the list of cyclone names)," Cada said.

Earlier this year, PAGASA removed Labuyo from its list of cyclone names, after noting it caused more than P1 billion in damage to property, as well as 11 deaths.

PAGASA presently maintains four lists of at least 35 names each. Each list is used every four years, on a rotation basis.

Each list has 25 primary names - each name starting with a letter of the alphabet except X, and an auxiliary list of at least 10 extra names.

Yolanda made landfall over the Philippines several times since early Friday, destroying houses and disrupting power and communications.

While the NDRRMC as of Friday night said at least three were confirmed dead, the death toll and damage figures are expected to rise once reports from affected areas come in. — LBG, GMA News