Typhoon Tino has continued to strengthen while moving west-northwest over the West Philippine Sea, just north of the Kalayaan Islands, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported early Thursday.
“Tuluyan na itong lumabas ng ating PAR (Philippine Area of Responsibility), kaninang madaling araw, 12:30 a.m. Pero sa ngayon, kahit nasa labas na ito ng ating bansa dahil sa kanyang kalawakan, meron pa rin tayong tropical cyclone wind signal dito sa may Kalayaan Islands,” said weather specialist Loriedin De La Cruz-Galicia during PAGASA’s 6 a.m. briefing.
As of 4 a.m., Tino’s eye was located 265 kilometers north-northwest of Pag-asa Island, Kalayaan, Palawan—already outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). The typhoon now packs maximum sustained winds of 155 km/h near the center and gustiness up to 190 km/h, moving west-northwestward at 35 km/h.
Strong to typhoon-force winds extend outward up to 480 kilometers, while its trough is still expected to bring scattered rain showers to Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, Aurora, and Quezon.
Meanwhile, Batanes may experience cloudy skies with light rains due to the northeast monsoon (amihan), and Cagayan may see similar conditions caused by a shear line. Fair weather is forecast over the Greater Manila Area, Visayas, and Mindanao, with localized afternoon or evening thunderstorms.
“Para naman sa track nitong si Bagyong Tino, patuloy na itong lumalabas ng ating bansa at patungo na ito sa Vietnam pero nananatili ito sa typhoon category, pero dahil sa lawak niya meron pa rin tayong TCWS No. 1 dito sa Kalayaan Islands,” Galicia added, noting that the warning may be lifted within the day.
PAGASA said there are no more gale warnings across the country’s sea boards.
Meanwhile, a new tropical storm outside PAR, internationally named Fung-Wong, has intensified and is moving northwestward at 20 km/h with strong to gale-force winds extending up to 550 kilometers from its center.
The storm is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Friday evening or early Saturday, and will be locally named Uwan.
PAGASA warned that it could rapidly intensify into a typhoon by Friday and possibly reach super typhoon category by Saturday, with a high chance of landfall over Northern or Central Luzon on Monday at or near its peak intensity.