Tropical depression off Pacific Ocean intensifies into storm

MANILA, Philippines - The tropical depression off the Pacific Ocean intensified into a storm yesterday as it continued to approach the Philippine area of responsibility, the state weather bureau said.

As of 10 a.m. yesterday, the tropical storm with international name Dujuan was spotted at 1,570 kilometers east of Northern Luzon with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 85 kph, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

If it maintains its west-northwest direction and speed at nine kph, Dujuan is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility on Thursday morning and will be locally named Jenny.

Dujuan is not expected to make landfall in any part of the country, but it will enhance the moisture-laden southwest monsoon, bringing rains in some parts of the country in the next days.

PAGASA said cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and isolated thunderstorms will be experienced over Mimaropa, the Visayas, Mindanao and the provinces of Cavite and Batangas.

Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated thunderstorms will prevail over Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon. 

Coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be slight to moderate.

Dujuan is projected to be at 1,230 km east of Calayan Island, Cagayan tomorrow morning; at 1,050 km east of Itbayat, Batanes by Saturday morning; and outside the Philippine area of responsibility by Sunday morning.