Hanna intensifies into typhoon

Residents in quake-hit Batanes and other coastal areas in the country will continue to experience moderate to heavy rains with gusty winds today caused by the outer periphery of Typhoon Hanna – on its way to Taiwan – which is then expected to bring rough sea conditions, the state weather bureau warned yesterday.

This prompted the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to place Batanes and the Babuyan Group of Islands under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal no. 1 as of 5 p.m. yesterday.

PAGASA cautioned seafarers, fishermen and residents of coastal villages in the seaboards of Luzon and the Visayas, and in the northern and eastern seaboards of Mindanao, that Hanna and the enhanced southwest monsoon may bring big waves that may reach as high as 4.5 meters.

PAGASA senior weather specialist Aldczar Aurelio said Hanna’s outer

periphery will continue to bring occasional rains and gusty winds over several provinces until today.

As of 5 p.m. yesterday, a gale warning was issued over Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Isabela, Cagayan, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Aurora, Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Batangas, Quezon, including Polillo island, Camarines provinces, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate, Burias Island, Bohol, Cebu, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Samar provinces, Leyte provinces, Biliran, Agusan del Norte, Misamis provinces, northern part of Lanao del Norte, Camaguin, Surigao provinces, Davao Oriental, Dinagat Islands and Siargao.

Hanna will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon in the next two days as it moves toward the southern Ryukyu Islands in Japan.

It, however, is not expected to make landfall on any part of the country and is forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility tomorrow afternoon.

As of 4 p.m., the eye of the typhoon was located at 590 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes with maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 170 kph.

It was moving north northwest at 15 kph.

Aurelio said moderate to heavy monsoon rains will persist over Metro Manila, Ilocos region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Zambales, Bataan, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro and the northern portions of Palawan, including Calamian and Cuyo islands.

He added that the lowpressure area off Pangasinan has a slim chance of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next 24 hours. As of 4 p.m., it was spotted at 325 km west of Dagupan City.

The severe tropical storm with international name Krosa, meanwhile, was spotted at 2,010 km east of extreme Northern Luzon as of 4 p.m. It packed winds of 95 kph and gustiness of up to 115 kph and was moving northwest at 15 kph. It was not expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility.

Aurelio said Krosa is not expected to affect the movement of Hanna in the next few days.

Hanna irrigates Bulacan farmlands

The rains brought by the southwest monsoon and Typhoon Hanna may not be enough to bring Angat Dam’s water elevation up to normal level, but it was enough for Bustos Dam to release irrigation supply to Bulacan farmlands.

Felix Robles, head of the water control and coordinating unit of Bustos Dam, said water flowed from the Bayabas and Maasim Rivers going to the Bustos Dam and was then released as irrigation water to Bulacan farmlands.

The release of irrigation water will be sustained as long as there are local flows coming from the upstream rivers of Bustos Dam, he added added. –