(Eagle News) — Signal Number 3 has been hoisted over Isabela, Cagayan and northern Aurora as “Ompong” nears the Cagayan-Isabela area, where it is expected to make landfall early Saturday morning.
In its 8 a.m. advisory, Ezra Bulquerin, weather forecaster of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said “Ompong,” which has a 900-kilometer diameter, was located 605 kilometers east of Baler, Aurora, moving in a west northwest direction.
Its center is packing maximum sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour near the center, and gustiness of up to 255 kilometers per hour.
According to Bulquerin, as in Isabela, Cagayan and northern Aurora, stormy weather is expected in areas where Signal Number 2 has been hoisted–in Batanes, Babuyan Group of Islands, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Moiuntain Province, Ifugao, La Union, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, the rest of Aurora, Tarlac and northern Zambales.
Bulquerin said occasional rains with gusty winds are expected in areas under Signal No. 1–Pampanga, Bataan, rest of Zambales, Bulacan, RIzal, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon including Polillo Island, northern Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Island, northern Oriental Mindoro, Masbate, Marinduque, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, Burias and Ticao Islands, and northern Samar.
Moderate to occasionally heavy rains are also expected over Visayas, while scattered light to moderate and at times heavy rains are expected over Palawan, Zamboanga Peninsula, northern Mindanao and Caraga due to an enhanced southwest monsoon.
The state weather bureau advised fisherfolk and small seacraft not to venture out over seaboards under a tropical cyclone warning, and in the eastern seaboards of Visayas and Mindanao.
