A slightly weaker typhoon "Kiko" continues to move away from the country and is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 12, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its 5 a.m. bulletin.
As of 4 a.m., Sunday, PAGASA located the center of the eye of typhoon Kiko at 245 kilometers north of Itbayat, Batanes.
It has maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 215 kph while moving northward at 15 kph.
Itbayat, Batanes remains under tropical cyclone wind signal number 2, while Babuyan Island, Calayan Island, Panuitan Island, and the rest of Batanes remain under Signal No. 1.
Typhoon Kiko may still bring heavy to intense with at times torrential rains over Batanes in the next 24 hours, while moderate to heavy with at times intense rains may affect Babuyan Islands.
PAGASA warned those in these areas to remain vigilant against possible scattered to widespread flooding including flash floods and rain-induced landslides, especially in areas that are highly susceptible to these hazards.
Typhoon Kiko is also expected to continue to enhance the southwest monsoon or "habagat" and bring moderate to heavy rains over Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Zambales, and Bataan.
Cloudy skies with scattered monsoon rain showers and thunderstorms may also affect Metro Manila, Laguna, Rizal, the rest of Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Bulacan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Aurora, and Nueva Ecija.
The rest of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers and thunderstorms.