The severe tropical storm with an international name "Mindulle" is close to becoming a typhoon but it may not directly affect the country in the coming days, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Friday, Sept. 24.
In the PAGASA's 11 p.m. tropical cyclone advisory, Mindulle was packing maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 125 kph while moving northwestward at 20 kph.
Mindulle's location was estimated at 1,845 kilometers east of Central Luzon at around 10 p.m.
PAGASA said the severe tropical storm will likely enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) by Monday or Tuesday, Sept. 27 or 28.
"Once inside the PAR, the domestic name 'Lannie' will be assigned to this tropical cyclone," the State weather bureau said.
However, PAGASA said Mindulle is less likely to make landfall as it may remain far from the Philippine archipelago.
The weather disturbance is also not expected to directly affect the country's weather condition throughout the forecast period.
It may, however, trigger moderate to rough seas over the northern and eastern seaboards of Luzon beginning Monday.
"Sea travel will be risky for those using small sea crafts. Mariners are advised to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea and, if possible, avoid navigating in these conditions," PAGASA advised.
As of Friday afternoon, PAGASA said the easterlies or the warm and humid winds coming from the Pacific Ocean remain the dominant weather system in the country.
Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers in the next 24 hours.
However, PAGASA continued to advise the public to take precautions against possible flash floods or landslides especially during the occurrence of severe thunderstorms that are often associated with short-lived heavy rains.