3 areas under Signal No. 2; Pepito now over West Philippine Sea

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 was hoisted over three areas due to Tropical Storm Pepito, which is now over the West Philippine Sea, according to state weather bureau PAGASA.

In an 8 a.m. bulletin on Wednesday, PAGASA said Signal No. 2 is up over the following areas:

• La Union
• northern portion of Zambales (Iba, Palauig, Masinloc, Candelaria, Santa Cruz)
• western portion of Pangasinan (Bani, Anda, Bolinao, Agno, Dasol, Burgos, Alaminos City, Mabini, Sual, Infanta, Bugallon, Labrador, Aguilar, Mangatarem, Urbiztondo, Basista, Malasiqui, San Fabian, Pozzorubio, Sison, Laoac, Urdaneta City, Manaoag, San Jacinto, Dagupan City, Mangaldan, Mapandan, Santa Barbara, San Carlos City, Calasiao, Binmaley, Lingayen)

Meanwhile, the following areas are under Signal No. 1:

• Ilocos Norte
• Ilocos Sur
• the rest of Pangasinan
• Abra
• western portion of Kalinga (Balbalan, Pasil, Lubuagan, Tinglayan)
• western portion of Mountain Province (Barlig, Sadanga, Bontoc, Sagada, Sabangan, Bauko, Tadian, Besao)
• western portion of Ifugao (Banaue, Hingyon, Kiangan, Tinoc, Hungduan, Asipulo)
• Benguet
• western portion of Nueva Vizcaya (Ambaguio, Kayapa, Aritao, Santa Fe)
• western portion of Nueva Ecija (Carranglan, Lupao, Muñoz City, Santo Domingo, Zaragoza, Aliaga, Licab, Guimba, Talugtug, Quezon, Nampicuan, Cuyapo),
• Tarlac
• the rest of Zambales

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Wednesday, more than 300 individuals have been displaced in Aurora province due to Pepito, which made landfall over San Ildefonso Peninsula in Casiguran town on Tuesday night.

NDRRMC spokesman Mark Timbal told reporters that of the 335 people displaced, a total of 253 are staying in 13 evacuation centers in the province.

No casualties were reported, Timbal said. 

At 7 a.m., Pepito was located at 115 kilometers northwest of Dagupan City, Pangasinan with maximum sustained winds of 75 km per hour and gustiness of up to 90 km/h moving west northwestward at 30 km/h.

Pepito is forecast to intensify into a severe tropical storm over the West Philippines Sea by Thursday afternoon or evening, PAGASA said.

Rainfall forecast

Moderate to heavy rains are expected over Batanes, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, La Union, Apayao, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, and Calamian Islands.

Light to moderate with at times heavy rains will be experienced over Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, PAGASA said.

PAGASA warned of possible flooding including flashfloods, and rain-induced landslides during heavy or prolonged rainfall in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards.

Gale-force winds and high winds (strong to near gale), meanwhile, will be experienced in areas under Signal Nos. 1 and 2.

Due to the northeasterly surface wind flow, high to gale-force winds can be experienced over the rest of northern Luzon, especially in coastal and mountainous areas.

In areas under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal and Gale Warning, rough to very rough seas (2.5 to 5.5 m) are expected.

These conditions can be experienced over the entire seaboards of Northern and Central Luzon, the seaboard of northern Quezon including Pollilo Islands, and the western seaboards of Batangas, Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Island, and Palawan including Calamian and Kalayaan Islands.

“Sea travel is risky over these areas, especially for those using small seacrafts,” PAGASA warned.

Moderate to rough seas (1.5 to 3.0 m) will prevail over the eastern seaboards of southern Quezon, Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, Caraga, and Davao Region.

“Those with small seacrafts are advised to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea. Inexperienced mariners should avoid navigating in these conditions,” PAGASA added. 

Pepito is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) Thursday morning or afternoon, according to PAGASA.

Aside from Pepito, the state weather bureau is also monitoring the tropical depression outside the PAR located at 1,900 km east northeast of extreme northern Luzon.

The weather disturbance is unlikely to enter PAR, PAGASA said.  —KBK, GMA News