PAGASA likely to raise tropical cyclone wind signals due to 'Egay'
Tropical cyclone wind signals may be hoisted over some parts of Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas on Friday evening, July 21, or Saturday morning, July 22, in anticipation of strong winds from tropical depression Egay, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
In its bulletin issued at 5 p.m. on Friday, PAGASA said wind signals may be hoisted due to possible “strong breeze to gale-force conditions, up to 65 kilometers per hour” caused by the tropical depression.
Egay has maintained its maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 70 kph.
PAGASA said the tropical depression may intensify into a storm in the next 12 hours, and reach super typhoon intensity by Monday, July 24, or Tuesday, July 25.
(PAGASA)
(PAGASA)
Landfall not ruled out
As of 4 p.m., the center of tropical depression Egay was estimated 835 kilometers east of southeastern Luzon. It is moving west-northwestward at 20 kilometers per hour (kph). PAGASA said Egay may move west-northwestward until late Sunday before turning northwestward over the Philippine Sea east of Luzon early next week. “While the current track forecast shows that Egay will remain offshore over the waters east of Luzon, the forecast confidence cone shows that a landfall scenario over the eastern portion of mainland Cagayan and Batanes is not ruled out,” it pointed out.Enhanced ‘habagat’
Egay may gradually bring heavy rains to Catanduanes and Northern Samar between Sunday afternoon, July 23 and Monday afternoon, July 24, PAGASA said. Furthermore, it may enhance the southwest monsoon, or “habagat,” and bring rains to the western sections of Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan, and Visayas until Tuesday. “Under these conditions, flooding and rain-induced landslides are possible, especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards as identified in hazard maps and in localities that experienced considerable amounts of rainfall for the past several days,” PAGASA warned. The enhanced habagat may also bring “strong breeze to near gale conditions with intermittent gusts” over Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan, Western Visayas, and western Mindanao beginning Saturday.