MANILA, Philippines – Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (Trami) continued to move over the Cordillera Administrative Region late Thursday morning, October 24 — already in the vicinity of Bauko, Mountain Province, as of 10 am.
Before Mountain Province, it came from Ifugao, and prior to that, Isabela, where it made landfall in the town of Divilacan at 12:30 am on Thursday.
The severe tropical storm is moving west southwest at 20 kilometers per hour (km/h). It is projected to leave the landmass of Luzon via the Ilocos Region on Thursday, and head for the West Philippine Sea.
So far, Kristine still has maximum sustained winds of 95 km/h and gustiness of up to 160 km/h, but it may slightly weaken in the coming hours due to Northern Luzon’s mountainous terrain.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reiterated in its 11 am bulletin that Kristine could be downgraded to a tropical storm, but it may re-intensify once it is already over the West Philippine Sea.
PAGASA’s latest rainfall forecast for Kristine shows Occidental Mindoro added to the list of provinces experiencing intense to torrential rain. Rain also persists in other parts of Luzon and a few areas in the Visayas.
Thursday noon, October 24, to Friday noon, October 25
- Intense to torrential rain (more than 200 millimeters): Pangasinan, Zambales, La Union, Occidental Mindoro
- Heavy to intense rain (100-200 mm): Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region, rest of Ilocos Region, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bataan, Cavite, Batangas, Calamian Islands
- Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Metro Manila, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Antique, Aklan, Negros Occidental, Palawan
Friday noon, October 25, to Saturday noon, October 26
- Heavy to intense rain (100-200 mm): Pangasinan, Zambales, La Union
- Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): rest of Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Bataan
The weather bureau also updated the list of areas under tropical cyclone wind signals. Below is the full list as of 11 am on Thursday.
Signal No. 3
Storm-force winds (89 to 117 km/h), moderate to significant threat to life and property
- Mountain Province
- Ifugao
- Benguet
- northern part of Nueva Vizcaya (Bayombong, Ambaguio, Bagabag, Villaverde, Kayapa, Bambang, Diadi, Quezon, Solano, Santa Fe, Aritao)
- southern part of Ilocos Sur (Cervantes, Quirino, Sigay, Suyo, Alilem, Sugpon, Tagudin, Santa Cruz, Salcedo, Gregorio del Pilar, San Emilio, Lidlidda, Burgos, San Esteban, Santiago, Banayoyo, Galimuyod, Candon City, Santa Lucia, Nagbukel, Santa Maria, Narvacan)
- La Union
- Pangasinan
Signal No. 2
Gale-force winds (62 to 88 km/h), minor to moderate threat to life and property
- Cagayan including Babuyan Islands
- Isabela
- Quirino
- rest of Nueva Vizcaya
- Apayao
- Kalinga
- Abra
- Ilocos Norte
- rest of Ilocos Sur
- Nueva Ecija
- Aurora
- Bulacan
- Tarlac
- Pampanga
- Zambales
- Bataan
- Metro Manila
- Rizal
- Cavite
- western part of Batangas (Lian, Nasugbu, Tuy, Calatagan, Balayan)
- northern part of Laguna (Cabuyao City, Santa Rosa City, Biñan City, San Pedro City, Pakil, Mabitac, Pangil, Santa Maria, Siniloan, Famy)
Signal No. 1
Strong winds (39 to 61 km/h), minimal to minor threat to life and property
- Batanes
- rest of Batangas
- rest of Laguna
- rest of Quezon
- rest of Occidental Mindoro
- Oriental Mindoro
- Marinduque
- Romblon
- northern part of mainland Palawan (El Nido, Taytay, Araceli, San Vicente, Dumaran, Roxas) including Calamian Islands, Cuyo Islands, and Kalayaan Islands
- Camarines Norte
- Camarines Sur
- Catanduanes
- Albay
- Sorsogon
- Masbate including Ticao Island and Burias Island
- Aklan
- Capiz
- Antique including Caluya Islands
- Iloilo
- Bantayan Islands
- Northern Samar
- northern part of Samar (Calbayog City, Santo Niño, Almagro, Tagapul-an, San Jorge, Matuguinao, Jiabong, Pagsanghan, Catbalogan City, Gandara, Motiong, San Jose de Buan, Santa Margarita, Tarangnan, Daram, Zumarraga)
- Biliran
- northern part of Eastern Samar (Maslog, Jipapad, Arteche, Oras, San Policarpo)
- northwestern part of Leyte (Calubian, San Isidro)
The weather bureau added that “the wind flow coming towards the circulation of Kristine, the northeasterly windflow, and a possible southwesterly windflow” are also bringing strong to gale-force gusts to these areas:
Thursday, October 24
- Mimaropa, Bicol, Visayas, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Northern Mindanao, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental
Friday, October 25
- Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Negros Occidental, Siquijor, Bohol, Southern Leyte, Zamboanga del Norte, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Camiguin, Dinagat Islands
Saturday, October 26
- Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Negros Occidental, Siquijor, Zamboanga del Norte, Camiguin, Dinagat Islands, Siargao-Bucas Grande Island Group
In addition, there is a minimal to moderate risk of “life-threatening” storm surges “up to 2 meters above normal tide levels” in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, and Zambales in the next 48 hours.
For coastal waters in the next 24 hours, PAGASA said up to very rough or high seas are expected in the seaboards of the Ilocos Region and Zambales as well as western seaboards of Batanes and Babuyan Islands (waves up to 8 meters high); western seaboard of Bataan and remaining seaboard of Cagayan Valley (waves up to 7 meters high); western seaboard of Batangas and seaboard of Lubang Island (waves up to 6 meters high); western seaboards of Occidental Mindoro and Calamian Islands (waves up to 5.5 meters high); and seaboard of Aurora, northern and eastern seaboards of Catanduanes, northern seaboard of Camarines Sur, and western seaboard of Western Visayas, Negros Occidental, and mainland Palawan (waves up to 4.5 meters high). Travel is risky for all vessels.
Up to rough seas are seen in the seaboards of Cuyo Islands, Polillo Islands, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Camarines Norte, as well as western seaboards of Quezon and Negros Oriental (waves up to 4 meters high); remaining seaboards of Luzon and the Visayas (waves up to 3.5 meters high); and seaboards of Dinagat Islands, Camiguin, and Zamboanga del Norte, as well as northern and western seaboards of Surigao del Norte (waves up to 3 meters high). Small vessels should not venture out to sea.
Up to moderate seas will persist in the remaining seaboards of Mindanao (waves up to 2.5 meters high). Small vessels should take precautionary measures or avoid sailing, if possible.
Kristine is the country’s 11th tropical cyclone for 2024 and the first for October. It could exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Friday, October 25.
Aside from the severe tropical storm, PAGASA is also monitoring a low pressure area (LPA) that formed outside PAR at 8 pm on Wednesday, October 23.
As of 10 am on Thursday, it was located 2,230 kilometers east of northeastern Mindanao.
The LPA continues to have a high chance of developing into a tropical depression within 24 hours. Further updates are expected. – Rappler.com