Tropical Storm “Hagupit” has slightly lost its intensity as it tracks westward northeast of Palau, according to the latest bulletin from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
As of Saturday, the storm was spotted approximately 1,065 kilometers east of Northeastern Mindanao. It currently packs maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts reaching up to 80 kph. The cyclone is maintaining a westward pace of 20 kph, with gale-force winds stretching up to 320 kilometers from its eye.
The state weather bureau anticipates that the storm will move west-northwest for the remainder of the forecast period. It is projected to stay over the Philippine Sea, keeping a significant distance from the country’s landmass.
The cyclone is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) within the day, at which point it will be locally named “Caloy.”
While Hagupit may hold its current strength over the next 12 hours, PAGASA forecasters expect a gradual weakening trend to begin on Sunday due to an unfavorable environment for tropical development. The storm is predicted to be downgraded to a tropical depression by Sunday and could dissipate into a low-pressure area by Monday.
PAGASA maintained that the storm is unlikely to have any direct impact on the country’s weather or sea conditions within the next 48 hours.