TD Amang maintains its strength; east Mindanao landfall expected

Tropical Depression Amang maintained its strength as it continued to slowly make its way towards the Surigao del Norte - the Siargao Islands area, weather service PAGASA reported in an early Sunday morning bulletin.

At 1 a.m., Amang was 565 kilometers east of Surigao del Sur's Hinatuan town, with 45 kilometer per hour winds and gusts of up to 60 kph.

Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal 1 was raised over:

• eastern Bohol,
• Southern Leyte,
• Agusan del Sur,
• Agusan del Norte,
• Surigao del Sur,
• Surigao del Norte,
• the Dinagat Islands, and
• Camiguin.

Moderate to heavy rain could thus be expected over:

• Caraga,
• Northern Mindanao,
• Compostela Valley,
• Davao Oriental,
• Eastern Visayas,
• Central Visayas,
• Bicol Region,
• southern Quezon,
• Marinduque, and
• Romblon.

PAGASA warned that  flooding and landslides were a danger in all these areas, and advised residents in to take precautionary measures.

The weather service also warned that conditions over the seaboards of areas under Signal 1; the northern seaboard of northern Luzon; the eastern seaboards of northern, Central and southern Luzon; and eastern seaboards of the Visayas and Mindanao would be dangerous for fisherfolk and small seacraft.

Furthermore, despite Amang's slow progress, the tropical depression was expected to make landfall somewhere over the Surigao del Norte mainland and the Siargao Islands between Sunday afternoon and evening.

Specifically, PAGASA projected that Amang would be:

• 35 kms east of Surigao City, Surigao del Norte by Sunday night, and
• 75 kms south-southeast of Masbate City, Masbate by Monday evening.

By Monday (21 January), Amang would likely bring moderate to heavy rain over:

• the Visayas,
• the Bicol Region,
• southern Quezon,
• Marinduque, and
• Romblon.

And by Tuesday (22 January), moderate to heavy rains could be expected over:

• Albay,
• Sorsogon,
• Catanduanes,
• Masbate, and
• Eastern Visayas.

— DVM, GMA News