MINDORO, MIMAROPA AMONG REGIONS STILL UNDER SIGNAL NO. 1 AS SEVERE TROPICAL STORM KRISTINE MOVES WEST NORTHWESTWARD

Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Islands, Oriental Mindoro, and parts of MIMAROPA remain under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1 as Severe Tropical Storm Kristine maintains its strength over the sea west of Northern Luzon, the state weather bureau PAGASA reported early Friday.

The storm was located 125 kilometers West Northwest of Bacnotan, La Union at 4:00 AM, packing maximum sustained winds of 95 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 115 km/h.

Areas under Signal No. 1 can expect strong winds with speeds of 39 to 61 km/h in the next 36 hours, posing minimal to minor threat to life and property.

The weather agency also warned of potential rough seas reaching up to 4.0 meters in height along the western seaboards of northern Palawan including Kalayaan Islands.

PAGASA forecasts Kristine to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by Friday afternoon, though it may loop back over the West Philippine Sea during the weekend.

A large portion of Northern and Central Luzon remains under Signal No. 2 as Severe Tropical Storm Kristine threatens these regions with gale-force winds, while more than 30 areas across Luzon and Visayas are under Signal No. 1, PAGASA reported Friday morning.

Under the higher Signal No. 2 are Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, most provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and parts of Cavite, Rizal, and northern mainland Quezon. These areas face potential wind speeds of 62 to 88 km/h in the next 24 hours.

The weather bureau warns of possible storm surge heights of up to 2.0 meters above normal tide levels in coastal areas of Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, and Zambales over the next two days.

Maritime operations are particularly affected, with gale warnings in effect across Luzon and western Visayas seaboards. Wave heights could reach up to 7.0 meters in the seaboards of Zambales and Pangasinan, prompting authorities to advise vessels of all sizes to remain in port.

“There is a developing forecast situation wherein KRISTINE will be looping over the West Philippine Sea on Sunday and Monday and move generally eastward towards the general direction of the PAR region,” PAGASA said, adding that the storm could potentially intensify into a typhoon in the coming days.