'Halong' moves closer to Luzon

MANILA, Philippines - A large part of Luzon is forecast to experience occasional rains as Typhoon Halong moves west northwest slowly.

A weather forecast issued by the state-run Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration at 5 a.m.  said the southwest monsoon is affecting Luzon while "Halong" was located at 1,440 kilometers east of Central Luzon.

The typhoon has maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 150 kph.

"Metro Manila, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, regions of Ilocos, Cordillera and the provinces of Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, Zambales, and Batan will experience occasional rains. The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms," PAGASA said.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the southwest will prevail throughout the rest of the country. Coastal will be moderate to rough.