MANILA (UPDATE) - PAGASA said Friday tropical depression Julian intensified into a tropical storm but was not expected to directly cause high-impact weather over the country.

Julian was last spotted 870 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, far from the Philippine landmass, the state weather bureau said in its 11 p.m. bulletin.

Julian, the 10th storm to enter the country this year, slightly increased its maximum sustained winds to 65 kilometers per hour (kph), with gusts of up to 90 kph.

Moving southwestward at a speed of now 10 kph, the storm, with international name Maysak, was expected to remain over the Philippine Sea and would likely leave the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Monday night, Aug 31.

PAGASA said Julian would continue to gain strength and was forecast to reach severe tropical storm category by Saturday afternoon, Aug. 29, and typhoon category by Sunday morning, Aug. 30.

Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Bicol Region, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan and Aurora will experience cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms due to the storm's trough or extension and the southwest monsoon or habagat.

The habagat, warm moist winds from the southwest causing rains over the western portion of the country from May to September, will also bring partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers in the rest of the country.

The weather bureau also warned that the seaboards of northern Luzon and eastern seaboard of Central Luzon would experience moderate to rough seas. Those with small seacrafts are advised to take precautionary measures while venturing out to sea.