BY NOEL TALACAY
THE Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (PAGASA) yesterday placed 23 areas in Luzon and the Visayas under storm signal warning due to tropical storm “Maring.”
“Maring is forecast to gradually intensify and may be upgraded to a severe tropical storm within the next 12 hours,” PAGASA said in a bulletin issued at 4 p.m. yesterday.
PAGASA also said Maring is forecast to continue moving west northwestward in the next 12 hours before turning westward towards extreme Northern Luzon. It may exit the Philippine area of responsibility tomorrow.
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Maring was some 645 km east of Tuguegarao City, in Cagayan or 655 km east of Aparri also in Cagayan. It was moving west northwest at 20 kph, carrying maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 105 kph.
Signal No. 2 was raised in Apayao, Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, the northern portion of Isabela and Kalinga, and the northeastern portion of Ilocos Norte.
Under signal No. 1 were Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Abra, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Catanduanes, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, and Samar; and the rest of Ilocos Norte, Kalinga, and Isabela.
PAGASA said Maring is expected to bring moderate to heavy today to Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, the Cordillera Administrative Region, and the Ilocos region.
Central Luzon and the rest of Cagayan Valley will experience light to moderate rains, and at times heavy rains.
PAGASA said Maring is forecast move over the Luzon Strait and may pass close or over the Babuyan Islands between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.
It advised residents in areas identified to be highly or very highly susceptible to hazards to follow evacuation and other instructions from local officials.
