PAGASA: Inday may intensify into severe tropical storm in next 24 hours

Tropical Storm Inday may reach severe tropical storm category in the next 24 hours as it continues to move westward over the Philippine Sea, PAGASA reported Thursday.

In its 5 p.m. bulletin, the state weather bureau said it remains unlikely that storm signals will be raised in any area in the country, adding that heavy rainfall is also not expected throughout the forecast period for Inday.

The tropical storm was last seen 1,045 kilometers east of northern Luzon. It is moving westward at 20 kilometers per hour while packing maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 90 km/h.

While rains are not expected, Inday may bring moderate to rough seas over the seaboards of extreme Northern Luzon beginning on Saturday, September 9.

PAGASA advised small sea craft and mariners to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea and, if possible, avoid navigating in these conditions.

On the forecast track, Inday is seen to move generally northwestward over the Philippine waters before turning west-northwestward on Sunday, September 10 towards the vicinity of the Ryukyu Islands in Japan.

It may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Sunday or Monday, September 11.

By Monday afternoon, the tropical cyclone will turn slowly northwestward to northward as it moves towards the East China Sea. — Sundy Locus/BM, GMA News