'Igme' to return

MANILA, Philippines - Typhoon “Igme” (international name “Tembin”) is expected to bring rains over some parts of Northern Luzon, particularly in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, once it re-enters the country today or tomorrow, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said yesterday.

PAGASA forecaster Nikos Peñaranda said once Igme makes a U-turn, it would bring rains over some northern Luzon provinces.

“There would be rains at the western section of northern Luzon such as Region 1 provinces La Union and Pangasinan and bring significant rains in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Other provinces such as Abra and Benguet would also be affected. It would also pass through Batanes,” he said.

Peñaranda added that Igme would bring occasional heavy rains and could lead to landslides in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

Igme has already left the country and was moving toward Hong Kong but would re-enter the Philippine area of responsibility today or tomorrow.

It is forecast to exit by Wednesday toward eastern Taiwan.

Typhoon “Julian” (international name “Bolaven”), on the other hand, has already made landfall in Okinawa, Japan and is expected to pass east of Shanghai, China then to Korea.

In the data culled at 2 p.m. yesterday and released in its 5 p.m. forecast, PAGASA said the eye of Igme was located at 490 kilometers west of Basco, Batanes with maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour near center and gustiness of up to 170 kph.

It is forecast to move south-southeast at a speed of 7 kph, stirring up the southwest monsoon affecting northern and central Luzon.

Northern and central Luzon will experience occasional rains, becoming frequent over northern Luzon that might trigger flashfloods and landslides.

The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers and thunderstorms.