Typhoon "Bising" (international name: "Surigae") has slightly accelerated and intensified while churning across the Philippine Sea on Saturday afternoon, April 17.
In the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration's (PAGASA) severe weather bulletin issued at 5 p.m., Signal No. 2 was hoisted over Catanduanes, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and Samar.
Signal No. 1 is still raised over Sorsogon, Albay, eastern portion of Camarines Sur, eastern portion of Masbate including Ticao Island, Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Camotes Islands, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte including Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands, and Surigao del Sur.
Weather specialist Ariel Rojas said Bising's outer rainbands have started to affect Eastern Visayas and Mindanao on Saturday.
Bising will bring moderate to heavy with at times intense rains over Eastern Visayas, Bicol Region, and the southern portion of Quezon until Sunday, April 18.
By Monday, April 19, Bising is expected to bring moderate to heavy with at times intense rains over Northern Samar, Bicol Region, and the southern portion of Quezon.
"Under these conditions, flooding, including flash floods, and rain-induced landslides may occur especially in areas identified in hazard maps as highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards," PAGASA warned.
Bising continued its intensification and is now packing maximum sustained winds of 195 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 240 kph.
It could further intensify and reach its peak intensity of up to 205 kph by Sunday, Rojas said.
Forecast track
As of 4 p.m., the center of the eye of the typhoon was estimated at 460 kilometers (km) east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar.
It is moving faster at 25 kilometers per hour (kph) while moving west-northwestward.
PAGASA said the typhoon will likely move northwestward over the Philippine Sea until Sunday afternoon.
Afterward, it will slow down and move generally northward until Tuesday afternoon, April 20 April before moving generally northward or north-northwestward over the Philippine Sea east of Northern and Central Luzon.
Rojas said that different weather models from various weather agencies show that Bising will recurve away from the country in the next few days.
High pressure systems on both sides of Bising have been influencing the movement of the typhoon. Between these high pressure areas is the area of least resistance where the storm can pass through, Rojas said.
Considering the uncertainty in the track forecast of the typhoon, PAGASA said that a westward shift in the current forecast track may result in potentially significant impacts over the eastern portions of Southern Luzon and Visayas.
A landfall scenario over Central or Northern Luzon is not ruled out but the possibility is remote as of the latest forecast track, Rojas said.
Bising will likely be 300 km east of Virac, Catanduanes by Sunday; 555 km east of Infanta, Quezon by Monday, April 19; 490 km east of Casiguran, Aurora by Tuesday, April 20; 515 km east of Aparri, Cagayan by Wednesday, April 21; and 555 km east of Basco, Batanes by Thursday afternoon, April 22.