Wind Signal 1 up over Kalayaan Islands, Balabac due to ‘Romina’
Metro Manila, Philippines - The state weather agency raised Wind Signal 1 over Balabac and Kalayaan Islands in Palawan due to Tropical Depression Romina on Sunday, Dec. 22.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said wind speeds in areas under Signal 1 range from 39 to 61 kilometers per hour (kph). Minimal to minor impacts are possible.
In its 5 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA said Romina was last spotted over the coastal waters of Rurok Island in Kalayaan Islands, still outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
“Hindi natin inaalis ‘yung posibilidad na maaaring pumasok ng Philippine Area of Responsibility ngayong araw itong bagyo na ating mino-monitor,” PAGASA weather specialist Obet Badrina said in their forecast.
[Translation: We are not removing the possibility of the tropical cyclone entering the Philippine Area of Responsibility today.]
The tropical cyclone has maximum sustained winds of 55 kph and gustiness of up to 70 kph. It is moving north northeast at 35 kph.
Romina may intensify into a tropical storm before weakening into a tropical depression for the rest of the forecast period.
Rainfall warning
Intense to torrential rains, reaching more than 200 millimeters, are expected over Kalayaan Islands.
The rest of Palawan may have heavy to intense rains or about 100 to 200 millimeters.
Around 50 to 100 millimeters of rain, classified moderate to heavy, may pour over Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Catanduanes, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras, and Northern Samar.
Weather forecast
For Sunday, the trough of the tropical depression will bring overcast skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms over Zamboanga Peninsula, Palawan, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.
The shearline, or the convergence of warm and cold winds, will cause cloudy skies with scattered rains and isolated thunderstorms over Visayas, Bicol, Calabarzon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Dinagat Islands.
The northeast monsoon will trigger overcast skies with rains over Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Central Luzon while partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains over the rest of Luzon.
The rest of Mindanao, meanwhile, will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms also due to the trough of the tropical depression.
PAGASA raised a gale warning over the northern and western seaboards of Northern Luzon and the western seaboard of Southern Luzon.
