PAGASA
MANILA—Storm signal number 3 was lifted Tuesday as Typhoon Jolina weakened into a severe tropical storm while it traversed the Luzon landmass, the state weather bureau said.
The country's 10th storm this year made its first landfall Monday night in the vicinity of Hernani town in Eastern Samar. It again hit land in Almagro, Samar at 6:30 a.m. and in Tagapul-an, Samar at 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday, PAGASA said.
It hit land for a fourth time in Dimasalang, Masbate, the weather bureau said in its 11 a.m. bulletin.
In the next 24 hours, Jolina is expected to bring heavy to intense with at times torrential rains over Masbate, Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Northern Samar, Sorsogon, Albay, Catanduanes, Camarines provinces, Southern Quezon, Romblon, and Marinduque.
Moderate to heavy with at times intense rains are expected over Mindoro provinces and the rest of Calabarzon and Visayas.
The typhoon was last estimated in the vicinity of Baleno, Masbate as of 1 p.m., moving west northwest at 15 kilometers per hour while packing maximum winds of 110 kph with gusts of up to 135 kph, according to the weather bureau's 2 p.m. bulletin.
Areas previously under tropical cyclone wind signal no. 3 were lowered to signal no. 2, which warns of damaging gale-force to storm-force winds within 24 hours.
Here's the complete list of areas under storm signal No. 2:
- Masbate including Ticao and Burias Islands
- Northern portion of Romblon
- Sorsogon
- Albay
- Western and southern portions of Camarines Sur
- Western portion of Camarines Norte
- Central and southern portions of Quezon
- Laguna
- Southeastern portion of Batangas
- Marinduque
- Western portion of Northern Samar
- Extreme northwestern portion of Samar
- Northern portion of Biliran
Tropical cyclone wind signal no. 1, which warns of strong winds prevailing within 24 hours, was raised over:
- Metro Manila
- Rest of Camarines Norte
- Rest of Camarines Sur
- Rest of Albay, Catanduanes
- Rest of Romblon
- Oriental Mindoro
- Occidental Mindoro
- Rest of Quezon
- Rizal
- Rest of Batangas
- Cavite
- Bulacan
- Bataan
- Nueva Ecija
- Tarlac
- Zambales
- Pampanga
- Southern portion of Aurora
- Southern portion of Pangasinan
- Rest of northern Samar
- Northern and central portions of Samar
- Northern of Eastern Samar (Jipapad, Arteche, Maslog, Dolores,
- Oras, San Policarpo)
- Rest of Biliran
- Northern portion of Leyte
- Northern portion of Cebu
- Northern portion Negros Occidental
- Northern portion of Iloilo
- Capiz
- Aklan
In the next 12 hours, the typhoon is expected to move generally west northwestward traversing Masbate and Ragay Gulf before making another landfall in the vicinity of southeastern Quezon between Tuesday night and early Wednesday, according to PAGASA.
Between Wednesday and Thursday, the storm is forecast to cross Central Luzon, roughly to the east and north of Metro Manila, while frictional effects during its traverse of Luzon landmass will downgrade Jolina to an even weaker tropical storm, it added.
The weather bureau is monitoring another storm expected to enter the country by Wednesday, after which it will be named "Kiko," PAGASA weather forecaster Jun Galang earlier said.
Jolina and Kiko are not expected to cross each other's paths, according to PAGASA weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio.