Tropical storm ‘Melor’ enters PAR, renamed ‘Nona’

MANILA, Philippines - The tropical depression monitored outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) has strengthened into tropical storm as it enters PAR on Saturday morning, PAGASA said.

With international name “Melor,” the weather disturbance was renamed “Nona,” the 14th cyclone to enter the country this year.

PAGASA weather forecaster Glaiza Escullar said Nona entered PAR at 4 a.m. Saturday.

She explained the tropical storm was initially named “Nonoy” but was changed to Nona due to its landfall characteristics and as respect to the name of President Benigno Aquino III.

In its 5 a.m. advisory, PAGASA said Nona was estimated 1,110 kilometers east of Maasin, Southern Leyte as of 4 a.m. with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 80 kph.

The weather system is also expected to move west northwest at 25 kph to 580 kilometers east of Catbalogan City, Samar by Sunday morning.

Although the weather bureau assured that Nona would have no direct effect to the Philippines on Saturday, it will move to the eastern side of Luzon and Visayas, raising public storm warning signals on Sunday night.

Escullar said Nona is expected to strengthen into typhoon category and make a landfall in Bicol region by Tuesday night.

The northwest monsoon or “hanging amihan,” on the other hand, would bring cloudy skies with light rains expected over the regions of Ilocos, Cordillera and Cagayan Valley.

Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains would also prevail over Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon.

The state weather bureau said no gale warning was issued as fisherfolks are safe to venture into the seas.