The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Tuesday morning, May 30, said typhoon Betty (international name: Mawar) may further decelerate and steadily weaken over the next five days.
Satellite image of typhoon Betty (PAGASA)
In its 5 a.m. bulletin, PAGASA said Betty was located 350 kilometers (km) east of Basco, Batanes, packing maximum winds of 150 kph and gustiness of up to 185 kph. “Ngayong araw ay inaasahan nating si bagyong Betty maging ang southwest monsoon ay magdudulot ng maulap na kalangitan at pag-ulan dito sa malaking bahagi ng Northern Luzon [at] sa kanlurang bahagi ng Southern Luzon, Visayas, at Mindanao (Today we expect typhoon Betty and the southwest monsoon to bring cloudy skies with rains in most parts o of Northern Luzon as well as the western parts of Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao),” said PAGASA Weather Specialist Grace Castañeda. Tropical cyclone wind signals are still hoisted due to Betty. Signal no. 2 is currently in effect over Batanes and the northeastern portion of Cagayan including Babuyan Islands. Meanwhile, Signal no. 1 is raised in the rest of mainland Cagayan, the northern and eastern portions of Isabela, the eastern portion of Ilocos Norte, Apayao, the northern portion of Kalinga, and the northeastern portion of Abra. Wind signals in other areas have been lifted, said Castañeda.
Satellite image of typhoon Betty (PAGASA)
In its 5 a.m. bulletin, PAGASA said Betty was located 350 kilometers (km) east of Basco, Batanes, packing maximum winds of 150 kph and gustiness of up to 185 kph. “Ngayong araw ay inaasahan nating si bagyong Betty maging ang southwest monsoon ay magdudulot ng maulap na kalangitan at pag-ulan dito sa malaking bahagi ng Northern Luzon [at] sa kanlurang bahagi ng Southern Luzon, Visayas, at Mindanao (Today we expect typhoon Betty and the southwest monsoon to bring cloudy skies with rains in most parts o of Northern Luzon as well as the western parts of Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao),” said PAGASA Weather Specialist Grace Castañeda. Tropical cyclone wind signals are still hoisted due to Betty. Signal no. 2 is currently in effect over Batanes and the northeastern portion of Cagayan including Babuyan Islands. Meanwhile, Signal no. 1 is raised in the rest of mainland Cagayan, the northern and eastern portions of Isabela, the eastern portion of Ilocos Norte, Apayao, the northern portion of Kalinga, and the northeastern portion of Abra. Wind signals in other areas have been lifted, said Castañeda.
Track, intensity
PAGASA on Monday said they are not ruling out the possibility of Betty's “slight acceleration” in the next 12 hours. The cyclone, however, continues to move slowly over the waters east of Batanes. The state weather bureau also stated that the typhoon may gradually weaken over the next five days, attributing this to cooler ocean waters, dry air, and increasing vertical shear. “Betty may be downgraded into a severe tropical storm on late Thursday or early Friday and into a tropical storm on late Friday or early Saturday. However, given the extent of the effect of dry air intrusion on the typhoon, a faster weakening rate within the forecast period is not ruled out,” PAGASA added. It may exit the Philippine boundary on Friday, June 2.