Weather Today – December 18, 2017 #URDUJAPH

In a weather bulletin issued at 11:00 AM today, PAGASA announced that Tropical Depression “Urduja” has further weakened after crossing Palawan. It has made its sixth landfall in Taytay, Palawan earlier this morning. Prior to this, it traversed other portions of Southern Luzon and Visayas. Below is the chronology of landfall activities:

– San Policarpio, Eastern Samar
December 16, 2017 (1:30 PM)

– Mobo, Masbate
December 17, 2017 (10:00 AM)

– Sibuyan Island, Romblon
December 17, 2017 (12:00 PM)

– Malay, Aklan
December 17, 2107 (6:00 PM)

– Cuyo Island, Palawan
December 17, 2017 (11:00 PM)

The center or the Tropical Depression was last spotted at 90 kilometers (km) north-northwest of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan with maximum winds of up to 45 kph and gustiness of up to 60 kph. Moving west at 18 kph, it is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) tomorrow morning or afternoon.

Signal Number 1 remains hoisted in Palawan, where winds of 30 to 60 kph are expected in the next 36 hours. Residents are advised to prepare for rains with gusty winds and are alerted against flash floods and landslides.

Meanwhile, due to the Tail-End of a cold front, CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Bicol Region and the provinces of Aurora, Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon will experience cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.

The Northeast Monsoon, locally known as Hanging Amihan, also prevails and will continue to bring cooler weather in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon. However, along with the cold weather are cloudy skies with scattered rains. Visayas and Mindanao can expect partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

Gale warning is up in the seaboards of Northern and Central Luzon, which include Batanes, Calayan, Babuyan, Cagayan, Ilocos province, Isabela, La Union, Pangasinan, Aurora, Zambales and Bataan. The same warning is in effect in the western and eastern seaboards of Southern Luzon and the eastern seaboard of Visayas. These include Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, western coast of Batangas and of Cavite, the northern and eastern coasts of Camarines provinces, Catanduanes, as well as the eastern coasts of Albay, Sorsogon, Quezon, Polillo Island, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar. Fishing boats and other small seacraft are prohibited from sailing due to rough to very rough sea conditions.

Meanwhile, the Tropical Depression outside the PAR has weakened into a Low Pressure Area (LPA) and was last located at 1,500 km east of Mindanao. PAGASA Weather Forecaster Robert “Obet” Badrina said it may still re-intensify into a cyclone and could still enter the PAR within the week. The weather bureau reminds the public, including disaster risk reduction and management offices, to keep monitoring updates.