'Dante' to exit Phl on Tuesday

MANILA, Philippines - Tropical storm "Dante" has gathered speed as it continued to move away from the Philippine area of responsibility, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reportd Monday morning.

As of 4 a.m., the storm's center was estimated at 1,030 kilometers northeast of Basco,  Batanes, packing maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 90 kph.

Dante, the fourth storm to enter the country this year, slightly increased speed from 11 kilometers per hour to 15 kph.

PAGASA weather forecaster Fernando Cada said that the storm may exit the Philippines by Tuesday. He said the storm continues to enhance the southwest monsoon, which brings rains in some parts of the country.

Cada said the western part of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with occasional light to moderate rains until Wednesday.

Metro Manila, meanwhile, will have sunny to partly cloudy skies possibly interrupted by isolated rainshowers in the afternoon or evening.

Cada said that the weather condition in the capital region is caused by localized thunderstorms or convections.

He, however, said that the rainy season has not officially started as rainfall has not yet met the criterion of sustained rains over a 5-day period.

"Dante" formed from a low pressure area that intensified into a tropical depression last Friday evening.