Signal No. 2 prevails over 9 Luzon areas as Maring heads to Babuyan Islands

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 remained hoisted over nine areas in Luzon as severe tropical storm Maring continues to move westward to Babuyan Islands, PAGASA said Monday.

In its 5 p.m. severe weather bulletin, PAGASA said the center of Maring was located 105 kilometers east northeast of Aparri, Cagayan or 120 km east southeast of Calayan, Cagayan at 4 p.m. with maximum sustained winds of 95 km per hour near the center, gustiness of up to 115 kph, and central pressure of 980 hPa. It is moving westward at 20 kph.

PAGASA said Maring is forecasted to pass very close or over the Babuyan Islands on Monday night.

TCWS No. 2 was hoisted over:

Luzon

• Batanes
• Cagayan including Babuyan Islands
• the northern portion of Isabela (Palanan, Divilacan, Maconacon, Ilagan City, Tumauini, Cabagan, San Pablo, Santa Maria, Santo Tomas, Delfin Albano, Quirino, Gamu, Roxas, Mallig, Quezon)
• Apayao
• Kalinga
• Mountain Province
• Abra
• Ilocos Norte
• Ilocos Sur

TCWS No. 1 was raised over:

• the rest of Isabela
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Quirino
• Ifugao
• Benguet
• La Union
• Pangasinan
• Aurora
• Nueva Ecija
• Tarlac
• Zambales
• Pampanga
• Bulacan
• the northern portion of Bataan (Samal, Morong, Dinalupihan, Abucay, Orani, Hermosa)
• the northern portion of Quezon (General Nakar, Infanta) including Polillo Islands
• Calaguas Islands

PAGASA said Maring will bring heavy to intense with, at times, torrential rains over Batanes, northern portion of mainland Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Apayao, Abra, Mountain Province, and Benguet, while moderate to heavy with, at times, intense rains will prevail over the rest of mainland Cagayan, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Ilocos Region.

PAGASA added that light to moderate with, at times, heavy rains will be experienced over Central Luzon and the rest of Cagayan Valley.

"Under these conditions, scattered flash floods and rain-induced landslides are highly likely especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards as identified in hazard maps," it said.

Monsoon rains are also possible over Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, and Oriental Mindoro in the next 24 hours due to the influence of southwest monsoon enhanced by Maring.

Gale to storm-force strength winds will also be experienced in areas under TCWS No. 2, which may result in generally light to moderate damage to structures and vegetation.

Strong winds (strong breeze to near gale conditions) with higher gusts will be experienced in areas under TCWS No. 1, which may generally bring up to very light damage to structures and vegetation.

PAGASA said Maring and the enhanced southwest monsoon will bring occasional gusts reaching strong to gale force in strength over the island, coastal, and upland/mountain localities of Visayas, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Camiguin, Zamboanga del Norte, and the rest of Luzon.

PAGASA also warned of a minimal to moderate risk of storm surge reaching up to 1.0 meter in the next 24 hours.

"Rising sea water along with the high waves from the shoreline moving inland may cause flooding in the low-lying coastal localities of Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands and Ilocos Norte," it added.

Further, a gale warning is in effect for the seaboards of Southern Luzon and Visayas and the western seaboard of Central Luzon that is not under the TCWS.

In the next 24 hours, rough to high seas (2.5 to 7.5 m) will prevail over the seaboards of areas under TCWS No. 2 and 1, while moderate to rough seas (1.2 to 2.8 m) will prevail over the remaining seaboards of Luzon and Visayas and the northern, eastern, and western seaboards of Mindanao.

"These conditions are risky for those using small sea crafts. Mariners are advised to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea and, if possible, avoid navigating in these conditions," PAGASA advised.—LDF, GMA News