A TROPICAL depression intensified into a storm yesterday, 13 hours after it entered into the Philippine area of responsibility, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
The tropical depression entered the country at 7 p.m. Wednesday and was named “Inday.”
Inday is not expected to make landfall and was forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Sunday or Monday.
PAGASA said Inday intensified into a tropical storm at around 8 a.m. yesterday and was forecast to further intensify into a severe tropical storm.
“It may intensify into a severe tropical storm within the next 24 hours and may further intensify (into a severe tropical storm) because it’s still at sea,” said PAGASA weather specialist Raymond Ordinario.
Ordinario said Inday was not affecting any part of the country but it will cause moderate to rough sea condition in the extreme northern Luzon area.
He said Inday will enhance the southwest monsoon, which may bring rains in some parts of the country.
“The critical days are probably Saturday and Sunday,” he said.
Ordinario said the western section of Luzon, including Metro Manila, will have fair weather with a chance of thunderstorms. He said these thunderstorms should not be associated with Inday, stressing that Inday is too far from Philippine landmass.
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Inday was 1,045 km east of northern Luzon, packing maximum sustained winds of 75 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 90 kph. It was moving westward at 20 kph, PAGASA said.
“This tropical cyclone is forecast to reach the severe tropical storm category within 24 hours and may intensify further as it tracks the favorable environment of the Philippine Sea. The possibility of a rapid intensification within the forecast period is not ruled out,” PAGASA said in a bulletin issued at 5 p.m. yesterday.
PAGASA said Inday will generally move northwestward before turning west northwestward on Sunday towards Ryukyu Islands in Japan.
“On the track forecast, Inday may exit the Philippine area of responsibility on Sunday or Monday. By Monday afternoon, the tropical cyclone will turn slowly northwestward to northward as it moves towards East China Sea,” PAGASA said.
PAGASA administrator Vicente Malano said Inday will not make landfall.
“We are not seeing any likelihood of it making landfall in any part of the country,” said Malano.
Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said at least 100 persons remained displaced in Benguet and Zambales after typhoon “Henry” which exited the country last Sunday.
The DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center said two families composed of three persons are staying in an evacuation center in Tuba in Benguet and three families (13 persons) are in an evacuation center San Marcelino in Zambales.
It said 11 families (35 persons) are taking temporary shelter with their friends or relatives in Benguet and 20 families (66 persons) are also staying with friends or relatives in Ilocos and La Union areas.
About P226,166 worth of aid has been sent to the affected families in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) while P65,934 worth of assistance was provided to the affected families in the Ilocos Region. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
