Ester slows down, expected out of PAR by Saturday

Tropical Depression Ester has slowed down slightly and is in the vicinity of southern Taiwan, the PAGASA reported in its Severe Weather Bulletin issued early Friday morning.

The state weather bureau has also lifted the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal over Batanes.

At 4 a.m. on Friday, the center of Tropical Depression Ester was estimated at 325 kilometers north northwest of Basco, Batanes with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 90 kph..

Ester slowed down slightly and is now moving in the northeastern direction at 13 kph and is expected to be outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) or 785 km north northeast of Basco, Batanes on Saturday morning.

The southwest monsoon enhanced by Ester, will bring monsoon rains over Batanes, Babuyan Group of Islands, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Tarlac, Pampanga, Zambales and Bataan.

Meanwhile, light to moderate with at times heavy rains is expected over Metro Manila, CALABAZON, MIMAROPA and the rest of Cagayan Valley and of Central Luzon.

PAGASA warned residents in the affected areas, especially those living near or in low-lying and mountainous areas, to take appropriate actions against possible floodings and landslides, coordinate with local disaster risk reduction and management offices and continue monitoring for updates.

For travellers, sea travel is risky over the seaboards of northern Luzon and the western seaboard of Central Luzon. — BAP, GMA News