TD Josie crosses the Luzon Strait; Signal 1 up over two areas

Tropical Depression Josie maintained its strength as it began to make its way across the Luzon Strait between the Philippines and Taiwan, weather service PAGASA reported in a Sunday morning bulletin.

At 4 a.m., Josie was 35 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes, or 155 kms northeast of Calayan, Cagayan.

Josie had 60 kilometer per hour sustained winds which could gust up to 80 kph, and was moving northeast at 35 kph.

Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal 1 was raised over the Batanes and Cagayan, including the Babuyan Islands.

However, these were not the only two areas that would be affected by Josie, as Ilocos Norte, nothern Ilocos Sur, Apayao, and northern Abra would also experience gusty winds and scattered to widespread heavy rain due to the tropical depression.

Josie would also enhance the southwest monsoon, which, in turn, would bring moderate to at times heavy rain over Metro Manila,  Central Luzon, the rest of the Ilocos Region, the rest of Cordillera Administrative Region, the rest of Cagayan Valley Region, Mindoro, Rizal, Cavite, and Batangas.

PAGASA warned that the low-lying and mountainous sections of all these areas could experience flooding or landslides, while sea travel would be risky over the seaboards of northern Luzon and the western seaboard of Central Luzon, especially in areas under Signal 1.

The rest of Luzon could meanwhile expect light to moderate rain, while the Visayas and Mindanao would be partly cloudy to cloudy  with isolated rainshowers.

PAGASA predicted that Josie would be:

• 500 kms north-northeast of Basco, Batanes by Monday morning, and
• 795 kms north of Basco, Batanes, and outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility, by Tuesday morning.

— DVM, GMA News