Typhoon ‘Fabian’ intensifies

State weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) announced that typhoon “Fabian” further intensified on Wednesday morning as it moved west and continued to enhance the southwest monsoon.

However, it stressed that the country’s sixth storm this year is unlikely to directly bring heavy rainfall in the country.

“Fabian” was last estimated 705 kilometers east northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, moving west “slowly” while packing 150 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph.

PAGASA noted that hoisting tropical cyclone warning signal no.1 over Batanes and Babuyan Islands remains a possibility due to the uncertainty in the later portion of Fabian’s track.

The typhoon, meanwhile, enhanced the southwest monsoon that may bring rains to Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Zambales, Bataan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro and the northern portion of Palawan

Fabian is expected to pass close or make landfall in the vicinity of Japan’s Ryukyu Archipelago on Friday before exiting the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Saturday.

Meantime, the Senate, Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, Sandiganbayan, lower courts, and offices under the Office of the Court Administrator, Presidential Electoral Tribunal, and the Judicial and Bar Council had suspended their work operations due to inclement weather.