'Ompong' keeps strength, speed as it moves away from land
MANILA, Philippines — Typhoon Ompong (international name: Mangkhut) has maintained strength and speed while on its way out of the Philippine landmass, state weather bureau PAGASA said early Saturday afternoon.
As of 1:00 p.m., the eye of “Ompong” was seen 85 kilometers west of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.
It packs maximum sustained winds of 170 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 260 kph.
Moving west northwest at 25 kilometers per hour, the typhoon is predicted to exit the Philippine area of Responsibility Saturday night.
“Ompong”—the biggest tropical cyclone of the year—slammed the coastal town of Baggao in Cagayan province at 1:40 a.m.
The powerful weather disturbance ripped off roofs, uprooted trees, knocked out power and communication lines and triggered floods and landslides in northern Luzon.
So far, two people have been confirmed dead by government officials.
Disaster officials earlier estimated that the wrath of “Ompong” will be felt by over 5.2 million individuals.
“Ompong” started to weaken after it hit the land but many areas are still under storm signal warnings.
Signal No. 3 (Winds of 121 to 170 kilometers per hour is expected in at least 18 hours)
- Cagayan including Babuyan Group of Islands
- Batanes
- Ilocos Sur
- Ilocos Norte
- La Union
- Mountain Province
- Benguet
- Ifugao
- Kalinga
- Apayao
- Abra
Signal No. 2 (Winds of 61 to 120 kilometers per hour expected in 24 hours)
- Isabela
- Nueva Vizcaya
- Pangasinan
- Tarlac
- Nueva Ecija
- Aurora
- Zambales
- Quirino
- Pampanga
- Bulacan
Signal No. 1 (Winds of 30 to 60 kilometers per hour)
- Bataan
- Rizal
- Metro Manila
- Cavite
- Batangas
- Laguna
- Lubang Island
- Northern Quezon including Polillo Island
Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur remain at risk of storrm surges up to three meters. Residents of La Union and Pangasinan, meanwhile, may expect storm surges of up to two meters.
Forecast positions
- Sunday morning: 695 kilometers west northwest of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte
- Monday morning: 1,410 kilometers west northwest of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte
— Gaea Katreena Cabico
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