New typhoon enters Phl today

Manila, Philippines - Typhoon “Ineng” (international code name: “Ma-on”) is expected to enter the country today, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said yesterday. 

PAGASA also warned that the waters in eastern Luzon would be dangerous to small seacraft.

“There is a gale warning so fishing boats and small seacraft in the eastern seaboard of Luzon are advised not to venture out to sea,” weather forecaster Glaiza Escollar said.

“The waters facing the Bicol region and the provinces of Quezon and Aurora, Cagayan Valley and the Batanes group of islands would be affected,” she said.

Even big vessels should take precaution, she added.

In its 5 p.m. weather forecast, PAGASA said a strong gale force wind is expected to affect the eastern seaboard of Luzon, which will experience widespread rain and rough to very rough seas with waves reaching as high as 3.5 to five meters.

The eastern seaboards of central and southern Luzon will have cloudy skies with scattered to widespread rains and the sea condition in these areas will be rough to very rough, with wave height ranging from 3.5 to 4.5 meters.

As of yesterday afternoon, the eye of typhoon “Ma-on” was located based on satellite and surface data at 1,440 kilometers east of extreme northern Luzon with maximum sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 200 kph. It will be called “Ineng” once it enters the country.

It is moving west-northwest at 15 kph.

While Ineng is likely to bring strong winds and rains in some northern provinces, it is not expected to make landfall in the country. “It will make landfall in Japan,” PAGASA said.

The typhoon is also not expected to stay long in the country. “It will enter the Philippine area of responsibility on Sunday morning and would exit either late Sunday evening or early Monday morning,” PAGASA added.

In the next 24 hours, PAGASA said eastern Visayas and Mindanao will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms. The rest of the country will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms, mostly in the afternoon or evening.