‘Emong’ intensifies, 7 areas under storm signal 2

MANILA, Philippines - Tropical cyclone "Emong" intensified into a typhoon as it continued to move closer towards northern Luzon, even as state weather forecasters expect it to make landfall Friday. However, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) downplayed chances of "Emong" becoming a super-typhoon. "Di naman siguro (magiging super typhoon) pero inaasahan natin na lalakas ito habang ito nasa karagatan [It is not likely to become a super typhoon but we expect it to gain more strength while it is still at sea]," Pagasa forecaster Rene Paciente said in an interview on dzBB radio. Paciente said Emong is likely to make landfall Friday morning in the Ilocos area, and to exit Philippine territory on Monday. As of 4 a.m., seven areas were placed under Storm Signal No. 2 while 10 areas were placed under Storm Signal No. 1. Under Storm Signal No. 2 were Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, La Union, Benguet, Pangasinan, and Zambales. Placed under Storm Signal No. 1 were Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga and Bataan. "Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Abra, La Union, Benguet, Pangasinan and Zambales will experience stormy weather while the rest of Northern and Central Luzon will have rains and gusty winds with moderate to rough seas. The rest of Luzon will be cloudy with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms becoming widespread rains over the Western section of Southern Luzon which may trigger flashfloods and landslides," Pagasa said in its 5 a.m. bulletin. Western Visayas will be mostly cloudy with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms. The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening, it added. - GMANews.TV