MANILA - Typhoon Ambo has maintained strength as it moved over the northern portion of Samar province, with heavy rains and lashing winds expected to persist in the area, state weather bureau PAGASA said Thursday.

In its 5 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA said Ambo was last located in the vicinity of San Jose De Buan, Samar, packing maximum sustained winds of up to 155 kilometers per hour near the center, with gusts of up to 255 kph. It is moving west at 15 kph.

PAGASA said the typhoon's eyewall is bringing violent winds and heavy intense rains over the northern portion of Samar and the southern portion of Northern Samar.

"Kapag ang mata ng bagyo ay dumaan sa isang lugar, 'yun po ay maganda ang panahon. So baka po isipin ng ating mga kababayan na wala na po ang bagyo. Hindi po ganoon dahil nasa gitna po kayo ng mata ng bagyo," PAGASA weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said.

(When the eye of the typhoon passes over a certain area, that area will experience good weather. Residents may think the storm has passed. But it's not like that, because you are in the middle of the eye of the typhoon.)

Aurelio added that residents near the eye of the typhoon should expect heavy rains and strong winds once the storm has passed.

"At 'pag lumampas na sa inyo ang mata ng bagyo, ang panahon po ay magiging masungit na panahon. So ang ibig sabihin po niyan, lumampas na ang mata ng bagyo sa isang lugar," he explained.

(When the eye of the typhoon has passed, that's when bad weather will be experienced. That means the eye of the typhoon has passed.)

Ambo will also bring heavy to intense rains over Samar provinces, Masbate and Sorsogon, and moderate to at times heavy rains over Albay, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, and the rest of Eastern Visayas Thursday night.

By Friday, the typhoon will bring moderate to heavy with at times intense rains over Bicol region, Northern Samar, Quezon, Aurora, Marinduque and Romblon.

Tropical cyclone wind signal no. 3 is still raised over the following areas:

• Sorsogon
• Albay
• Masbate including Ticao and Burias Islands
• Catanduanes
• Camarines Sur
• Camarines Norte
• southernmost portion of Quezon (Tagkawayan, Calauag, Lopez, Macalelon, General Luna, Catanauan, Buenavista, Guinayangan, Mulanay, San Narciso, San Andres, San Francisco)
• Northern Samar
• northern portion of Eastern Samar (Jipapad, Arteche, Maslog, Dolores, Oras, San Policarpo, Can-avid, Taft, Sulat, San Julian, Borongan City, Maydolong)
• northern portion of Samar (Calbayog City, Sta. Margarita, Gandara, Pagsanghan, San Jorge, Matuguinao, San Jose de Buan, Catbalogan, Jiabong, Motiong, Paranas, Tarangnan, San Sebastian, Hinabangan)
• Biliran

PAGASA said areas under Signal No. 3 will experience strong to destructive typhoon-force winds during the passage of the storm.

Meanwhile, the following areas under Signal No. 2 will experience strong to damaging gale/storm force winds during the passage of the typhoon.

• Southern portion of Quezon (Mauban, Sampaloc, Lucban, Tayabas, Dolores, Candelaria, Sariaya, Tiaong, San Antonio, Lucena City, Pagbilao, Atimonan, Padre Burgos, Agdangan, Unisan, Plaridel, Gumaca, Pitogo, Quezon, Alabat, Perez, Real)
• Marinduque
• Romblon
• Laguna
• southeastern portion of Batangas (Padre Garcia, Ibaan, Batangas City, Taysan, Rosario, Lobo, San Juan)
• northernmost portion of Leyte (Calubian, San Isidro, Tabango, Leyte, Capoocan, Carigara, Barugo, San Miguel, Babatngon, Tunga, Alangalang, Sta. Fe, Palo, Tacloban City, Jaro)
• rest of Samar
• rest of Eastern Samar

The following areas are under Signal No. 1:

• Aurora
• Nueva Ecija
• Bulacan
• Metro Manila
• Cavite
• Rizal
• Bataan
• Pampanga,
• Isabela
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Quirino
• Tarlac
• Zambales
• Oriental Mindoro
• eastern portion of Pangasinan (Lingayen, Bugallon, Aguilar, Mangatarem, Binmaley, San Carlos, Urbiztondo, Basista, Bayambang, Bautista, Calasiao, Alcala, Malasiqui, Sta. Barbara, Dagupan, Mangaldan, San Jacinto, Mapandan, Manaoag, Urdaneta, Villasis, Sto. Tomas, Rosales, Balungao, Umingan, San Quintin, Sta. Maria, Natividad, Tayug, Asingan, San Nicolas, San Manuel, Binalonan, Laoac, Pozorrubio, Sison, San Fabian)
• rest of Quezon
• rest of Batangas
• rest of northern portion of Leyte (Villaba, Kananga, Matag-ob, Palompon, Ormoc, Merida, Isabel, Ormoc City, Albuena, Pastrana, Dagami, Tanauan, Tabontabon, Tolosa, Barauen, Julita, Dulag)
• northeastern portion of Capiz (Pilar)
• northeastern portion of Iloilo (Carles, Balasan, Estancia, Batad)
• northern Cebu (Medelin, Daanbantayan, Madridejos, Bantayan, Santa Fe)

Ambo, the country's first storm this year, made landfall over San Policarpo, Eastern Samar past noon Thursday. It struck as the nation still grappled with the coronavirus disease, prompting local governments to enforce distancing measures in evacuation centers.

The typhoon is expected to leave the Philippine area of responsibility by Tuesday.

Visit the ABS-CBN Weather Center for more updates.