Tropical Depression Basyang has maintained its strength as it traverses Sulu Sea. At 11:00 AM, the storm was located at 200 kilometers southeast of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. Moving westward at 23 kph, it has maximum winds of 45 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of 60 kph. If it maintains current speed and direction, “Basyang” is forecast to hit Southern Palawan tonight and exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility tomorrow.

In the next 24 hours, moderate to heavy rains will still prevail in Palawan, Bicol Region, and Eastern Visayas. Light to moderate, with at times heavy rains, are also expected in the rest of Visayas due to the combined effects of the Tropical Depression and the Tail-End of a Cold Front. Residents are advised to be alert against possible flash floods and landslides.

With the presence of the storm, Palawan, Southern Negros Oriental, Southern Negros Occidental and Zamboanga del Norte will experience occasional rains with gusty winds. Flash floods and landslides are possible. With the combined affects of the storm and the Tail-end of a Cold Front, residents of Bicol Region, CALABARZON, the rest of MIMAROPA and Visayas, Agusan del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur are also alerted against cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms, making flash floods and landslides possible.

With the presence of the Northeast Monsoon, Cagayan Valley Region, Cordillera Administrative Region and Aurora will have cloudy skies with scattered light rains. The rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rains. The rest of Mindanao will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers.

Gale warning is still hoisted in the seaboards of Northern Luzon, the eastern seaboard of Central Luzon and Visayas, and the eastern and western seaboards of Southern Luzon. In these areas, fishing boats and small seacraft are prohibited from venturing due to rough to very rough seas.

The Tropical Storm with international name Lan entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) last night and was given the local name, Paolo, the country’ 16th Tropical Cyclone this 2017.

At 11:00 AM today, the cyclone has intensified into a severe tropical storm and was at 765 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar. It has maximum sustained winds of 90 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 115 kph. The storm is forecast to move west-northwest at 7 kph.

In an interview, PAGASA Weather Forecaster Gener Quitlong said that Paolo may recurve and miss the landmass due to a current interaction with a Low Pressure Area (LPA) located west of Palawan. But Paolo may also intensify into a typhoon before exiting PAR by Sunday and head towards Japan.

No tropical cyclone warning signal was issued but the outer rainbands of Paolo may bring scattered light to moderate with possible occasional heavy rains over Bicol Region, Visayas and Mindanao. Meanwhile, the LPA will bring scattered light to moderate with possible occasional heavy rains over Palawan. In the rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, partly cloudy to cloudy skies will prevail, apart from isolated rain showers mostly in the afternoon or evening.