PAGASA: Betty now outside PAR after thousands affected

Severe Tropical Storm Betty is now outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility, the state weather bureau PAGASA said Thursday.

As of 4 p.m., the center of the eye of the tropical cyclone was 685 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes.

It is heading north-northeastward at 15 kilometers per hour (km/h) and has maximum sustained winds of 95 km/h near the center, gustiness of up to 115 km/h, and a central pressure of 985 hPa.

Strong to storm-force winds extend outwards up to 520 km from the center, PAGASA said.

Rains may persist over parts of the country due to the southwest monsoon as Betty moves away from the country’s responsibility.

The weather bureau warned that “under these conditions, flooding and rain-induced landslides are possible, especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards as identified in hazard maps and in localities that experienced considerable amounts of rainfall for the past several days”.

Betty exited the country after thousands of families were affected.

A total of 14,908 people or 3,821 families have been affected by Typhoon Betty, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Wednesday.

In its 8 a.m. report, the NDRRMC said the affected persons were reported in 94 barangays in Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

A total of 5,981 individuals or 1,815 families were preemptively evacuated, it added.

Next 24 hours

In the next 24 hours, the enhanced southwest monsoon will bring occasional to frequent wind gusts over northern Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, CALABARZON, Bicol Region, MIMAROPA, Western Visayas, Northern Samar and the northern portion of Samar.

A marine gale warning also remains in effect over the northern seaboard of Northern Luzon, the eastern seaboard of Luzon, and the western seaboard of Southern Luzon.

On the forecast track, Betty is expected to continue accelerating gradually northeastward until Friday morning before turning east-northeastward over the waters near the Ryukyu Islands in Japan. It is forecast to make landfall or pass very close to Okinawa Island Thursday or Friday early morning.

Betty is seen to steadily weaken throughout the forecast period due to the lower sea surface temperature of the sea surrounding the Ryukyu Islands.

The severe tropical storm may be downgraded to a tropical storm category on Saturday, although a faster weakening rate remains possible within the forecast period. —NB, GMA Integrated News