Odette moves over West Philippine Sea; storm signal lifted

Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) continued to move over the West Philippine Sea on Sunday, and the Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 previously raised over Kalayaan Islands has been lifted, PAGASA said in its midday weather bulletin.

As of 10 a.m., the eye of Odette was located at 430 km northwest of Pag-asa Island, Kalayaan, Palawan outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

Odette maintained its strength, having maximum sustained winds of 195 km/h near the center, gustiness of up to 240 km/h, and central pressure of 915 hPa.

The typhoon was moving west northwestward at 15 km/h.

From its center, strong winds or higher than that extend outwards up to 400 km.

"'ODETTE' is unlikely to directly affect the weather condition and bring heavy rainfall in the country throughout the forecast period," PAGASA said.

The weather bureau however said light to moderate with at times heavy rains will be experienced in Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Quezon, and Camarines Norte due to the shear line.

In the next 24 hours, coastal waters over the seaboard of Kalayaan Islands will be rough to very rough, with waves reaching up to 5 meters, making it risky for sea travel.

A gale warning is in effect over the seaboards of Northern Luzon, and the eastern and western seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon due to the influence of Typhoon Odette and the Northeast Monsoon (Amihan).

PAGASA said Odette is expected to move north northwestward to northward on Sunday up to Monday morning. From there, it will move northeastward over the sea areas east of central Vietnam and Hainan Island.

Odette is expected to be downgraded into severe tropical storm category by Monday afternoon or evening due to its exposure to cooler sea surface temperatures in the West Philippine Sea, increasing vertical wind shear, and the surge of the Amihan. —KG, GMA News