PAGASA: 'Urduja' enters but to spare Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Typhoon "Urduja" has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) but is not expected affect the country, the state weather bureau said Tuesday.

The typhoon was spotted at 1,200 kilometers east of northeast of Itbayat, Batanes at 4 a.m. today, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

The weather bureau said Urduja is bearing maximum sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 195 kilometers per hour.

The 21st tropical cyclone to enter the country this year is projected to move north northwest at 13 kilometers per hour and is expected to be outside the PAR by Thursday morning.

PAGASA said Urduja is not expected to affect any part of the country. But the agency warned that sea travel is risky over the seaboards of northern Luzon and the eastern seaboards of central and southern Luzon.

Metro Manila and the regions of Ilocos, Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Bicol will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated light rains.

The rest of Luzon and Visayas will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.  Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with scattered light to moderate rains and thunderstorms.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over Luzon and its coastal waters will be moderate to rough.

Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the northeast to northwest with slight to moderate seas.