Typhoon Rosal set to exit PAR today

MANILA, Philippines — Typhoon Rosal is set to exit the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) today, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

Based on PAGASA’s projections, Rosal will leave PAR as early as Saturday morning.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the typhoon was located 385 kilometers north northeast of Itbayat, Batanes. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 190 kph while moving north northwestward at 20 kph.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 remained in effect over Batanes, while TCWS No. 1 was raised over the northern portion of Cagayan, including the Babuyan Islands, the northern portion of Ilocos Norte and the northern portion of Apayao.

In its final weather advisory, PAGASA said Rosal was less likely to bring significant rainfall over Batanes.

However, scattered rains and thunderstorms may still be experienced over the Visayas, Cordillera Administrative Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Palawan, Masbate, Misamis Occidental, Camiguin, Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi within the next 24 hours.

Airport closed

Due to Typhoon Rosal, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) temporarily closed Basco Airport yesterday, resulting in the cancellation of two flights between Clark and Basco and affecting 148 passengers.

The canceled flights were PR2688 (Clark-Basco) and PR2689 (Basco-Clark).

Airport facilities with glass windows were secured as a precautionary measure.

“The safety of passengers and aviation personnel remains our foremost priority. We will continue to coordinate with concerned airport authorities and monitor weather conditions to ensure that operations resume only when it is safe to do so,” CAAP director general Raul del Rosario said.

CAAP advised affected passengers to coordinate with their respective airlines for flight updates and rebooking arrangements.

Travelers were also urged to monitor official CAAP advisories for further announcements. – Rudy Santos