Typhoon Lawin nears Cagayan-Batanes, may leave PAR by Friday

Typhoon Lawin (Jelawat) grew bigger as it inched toward the Cagayan-Batanes area in Northern Luzon Tuesday afternoon, state weather forecasters said.

 

PAGASA forecaster Samuel Duran said Lawin's diameter has grown from 600 km in past days to 850 km as of Tuesday afternoon.

 

Lawin intensifies

 

"Mga 600 km pa ito nang nakaraang araw pero ngayon mas lalo itong lumaki," he said in an interview on dzBB radio.

 

PAGASA said Lawin may bring rainfall of 10 to 20 mm per hour (heavy to intense) within its 850-km diameter, specifically to extreme northern Luzon.

 

Duran also said their models show Lawin may still gain more strength, with its winds possibly reaching 210 kph.

 

He also said Lawin may get near Cagayan or the Babuyan Islands by Thursday, and exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) as early as Friday.

 

Improving weather

 

But PAGASA forecaster Fernando Cada said, that while Lawin may bring rain to parts of Luzon and Visayas, residents in Mindanao may expect the weather to improve.

 

"By Tuesday night ang Mindanao hihina na ang habagat. Ang Mindanao maaring maganda na ang panahon," he said in a separate dzBB interview.

 

PAGASA's 5 p.m. advisory said that as of 4 p.m., Lawin was estimated at 485 km east of Casiguran, Aurora, with maximum sustained winds of 205 kph near the center and gustiness of up 240 kph.

 

It said Lawin was moving north-northwest at 11 kph and may be 380 km east of Aparri, Cagayan by Wednesday afternoon, and 160 km northeast of Aparri, Cagayan, Thursday afternoon.

 

By Friday afternoon, it is forecast to be 120 km northwest of Basco, Batanes.

 

Under Storm Signal No. 1 are Isabela, Cagayan, Calayan, and Babuyan Islands, which will have rain with gusty winds.

 

Mimaropa, Bicol and Visayas will have cloudy skies with occasional moderate to heavy rain that may trigger flash floods and landslides.

 

Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mindanao and the rest of Luzon may have occasional light to moderate rain and thunderstorms.

 

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast to northwest will prevail over Central Luzon, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Ilocos and Cordillera, and coming from the southwest over Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

 

The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be moderate to rough.

Caution advised  

"Residents living in low-lying and mountainous areas under public storm warning signal #1 are alerted against possible flash floods and landslides," PAGASA advised.

 

It also said Lawin may enhance the southwest monsoon, which will continue to bring moderate to heavy rain over Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

 

"Fishing boats and other small seacrafts are advised not to venture out into the northern and eastern seaboards of Luzon and the seaboards of Visayas and northern and eastern seaboards of Mindanao due to big waves generated by Typhoon Lawin and the southwest monsoon," PAGASA said. — TJD, GMA News