'Ulysses' now a typhoon but not seen to hit RP

Tropical Storm “Ulysses” intensified into a typhoon yesterday but the weather bureau said it is still too far to affect any part of the country.

Weather forecaster Robert Sawi of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said aside from partly cloudy skies and isolated rains, good weather conditions are expected to prevail over most of the country in the next two days.

Sawi maintained that Ulysses is unlikely to make landfall in the country since most of the Pagasa prediction models continue to show a northward track for it.

“Most of the models show that it will move northward and will not hit the country,” Sawi said in a phone interview.

No storm warning signal was raised as of 5 p.m. yesterday.

Meanwhile, Pagasa Director Prisco Nilo said that out of the eight prediction models used by Pagasa, only one indicated that Ulysses would hit the country.

“Only the Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) predicted that Ulysses would hit Bicol on Wednesday and cross Palawan the following day,” Nilo told a press briefing at the National Disaster Coordinating Council.

Sawi said that if the cold front interacts with Ulysses, it would prevent the typhoon from hitting any part of the country.

He said rains experienced in some parts of the country were brought by the cold front and not by the typhoon.

He said rains associated with Ulysses are likely to prevail over the eastern and southern parts of Luzon, including the Bicol region, by Thursday and Friday.

“Most parts of the country, including Metro Manila, will have partly cloudy skies with isolated rains in the next two days,” Sawi said.

As of 2 p.m. yesterday, Ulysses was spotted some 600 kilometers east-northeast of Virac, Catanduanes with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 150 kph. It is forecast to move northwest at nine kph.

Ulysses would be at 420 kms east of Virac this morning; at 260 kms east-northeast of Virac by tomorrow morning; and at 200 kms northeast of Virac by Thursday morning.

The storm is the 21st tropical cyclone to enter the country this year and the first this month.

Meanwhile, Sawi continued to warn the public against big waves in the seaboards of Luzon and the eastern seaboard of Visayas associated with the surge of the northeast monsoon or hanging amihan.

At least 22 people were killed and 34 others were reported missing after a cargo-passenger vessel capsized off Cagayan over the weekend.

The M/B Maejan, carrying around 100 passengers, was on its way from the island of Calayan to the country’s main island of Luzon late Sunday when it was hit by large waves, according to coast guard officials.

Sawi said Pagasa has been issuing gale warnings for the past several days, reminding fishing boats and other small sea vessels not to venture into the seas of Luzon because of big waves.