Severe tropical storm Inday (international name: Muifa) is still not expected to make landfall in the country, but its trough or extension may bring scattered rain showers and thunderstorms over parts of Southern Luzon and Western Visayas in the next 24 hours, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Friday afternoon, Sept. 9.
PAGASA said the trough or extension of Inday may bring cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms over Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan, Quezon, Northern Samar, Bicol Region, and Western Samar.
“Aside from rain showers caused by its trough, tropical storm Inday remains less likely to bring heavy rains in the country throughout the forecast period,” PAGASA said.
“The latest forecast scenario for Inday shows that the hoisting of tropical cyclone wind signals over any land area in the country remains unlikely,” it added.
As of 4 p.m., Inday was estimated at 720 kilometers (km) east of Aparri, Cagayan, or 730 km east of Calayan, Cagayan, moving west-northwestward at 20 kilometer per hour (kph).
PAGASA said Inday further intensified and was now packing maximum sustained winds of 100 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 125 kph.
The severe tropical storm may cause moderate to rough seas over the seaboards of Batanes and Babuyan Islands beginning mid to late Saturday, Sept. 10.
“These conditions may be risky for those using small seacrafts. Mariners are advised to monitor for updates, take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea and, if possible, avoid navigating in these conditions during the said period,” PAGASA said.
Based on the PAGASA’s latest track forecast, the tropical storm may exit the Philippine area of responsibility early next week.