MANILA – “Pepito” has intensified into a tropical storm, and may make landfall over the coast of Aurora – Isabela area on Tuesday night, the weather bureau said in its latest bulletin posted around noon.
It may intensify further and reach the severe tropical storm category by Thursday, added the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
Pepito now packs a maximum sustained winds of 65 kph near the center, and gustiness of up to 80 kph. It was last tracked 295 km. east of Baler, Aurora, moving northwestward at 25 kph.
Tropical cyclone wind signal (TCWS) no. 2 was hoisted over La Union, Ifugao, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Aurora, the southern portion of Isabela, southern portion of Ilocos Sur, northern portion of Zambales, and the northern portion of Quezon.
TCWS no. 1 was raised over Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan, Metro Manila, Rizal, the northern portion of Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, the rest of northern portion of Quezon, and the rest of Zambales.
High to gale force winds will be experienced in areas under TCWS no.2 and 1.
Moderate to heavy rains will be experienced over Bicol Region, Mimaropa, Quezon, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Isabela, mainland Cagayan, Pangasinan, and Benguet.
Light to moderate with at times heavy rains will continue over Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, and BARMM.
Meanwhile, the northeasterly surface wind flow will continue to cause high to gale force winds with occasional gusts over Batanes, Babuyan Islands, and the coastal and/or mountainous areas of mainland Cagayan, Apayao, and Ilocos Norte.
Gale warning is in effect over the seaboards of Batanes, Cagayan, and Ilocos Norte due to rough to very rough seas. The seaboards of areas under TCWS no. 2 and 1 will also experience rough to very rough seas.
Moderate to rough seas will prevail over the western and eastern seaboards of Southern Luzon, and the eastern seaboards of Eastern Visayas, Caraga, and Davao Region, PAGASA said.