‘Ambo’ expected to hit Luzon, Visayas before weekend
Brace for stormy weather conditions toward the weekend due to the direct impact of tropical depression “Ambo” over Bicol Region, Central Luzon, and some areas in Southern Luzon and Visayas, including Metro Manila, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warned on Tuesday warned.
PAGASA estimated the location of “Ambo” at 385 kilometers (km) east of Surigao City, Surigao del Norte, around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of 70 kph.
Its trough or extension will bring scattered light to moderate with at times heavy rain showers during thunderstorms over Mindanao. Flooding and rain-induced landslides may occur in susceptible areas during heavy or prolonged rainfall, PAGASA warned.
Weather specialist Chris Perez said “Ambo” is currently barely moving over the Philippine Sea and its center may remain offshore until Wednesday. The weather disturbance will be about 280 km east of Borongan City, Eastern Samar by this time.
The cyclone’s outer circulation, however, may begin to bring rains over Eastern Visayas as
early as Wednesday, he said.
Tropical cyclone wind Signal No. 1 may be raised over portions of Eastern Visayas within Tuesday, in anticipation of “Ambo’s” potentially strong winds and intensification into a tropical storm.
Perez warned fisherfolk and those with small seacraft not to set sail into the eastern coasts of Eastern Visayas and Caraga due to moderate to rough seas.
Maritime activities will be automatically suspended once Signal No. 1 in a specific area is in effect, he added.
By Thursday morning, Perez said “Ambo” will likely be at 145 km east of Juban, Sorsogon and may make landfall over southern Bicol any time within the day.
It is expected to have already traversed Bicol Region by Friday morning when it is located 25 km west-northwest of Alabat, Quezon.
Perez said that between Thursday and Friday, Metro Manila’s weather condition may already be affected by the weather disturbance. As the cyclone progresses, “not only will it affect Metro Manila, but also Central Luzon, most of Southern Luzon, and some parts of Visayas.”
By Saturday, “Ambo” may have already left the Luzon landmass and will be at 145 km west-northwest of Laoag City, he added.
“By Sunday, it will slowly recurve northeast but still inside the Philippine area of responsibility. It will already be far from the country’s landmass at 185 km north-northwest of Basco, Batanes. There is a possibility that only some areas in Northern Luzon will be affected by the weather disturbance,” he said.