PAGASA
MANILA - Tropical depression Paeng is expected to intensify into a tropical storm by Thursday, state weather bureau PAGASA said.
In its 11 p.m. Wednesday weather bulletin, PAGASA said Paeng was last located 725 kilometers east of Borongan City, Eastern Samar, packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour near the center, with gusts of up to 55 kph.
It is moving west southwestward at 15 kph.
PAGASA has not yet hoisted any tropical cyclone wind signal, but due to the shear line and trough of Paeng, heavy rains are possible over Visayas, most of Southern Luzon and the northern and western portions of Mindanao.
Paeng is expected to bring moderate to heavy with at times intense rains over Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas starting Friday, while light to moderate with at times heavy rains are possible over Mimaropa, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Zamboanga peninsula, Quezon, Cagayan, Isabela and the rest of Visayas.
Forecast track of tropical depression Paeng. PAGASA
According to PAGASA, Paeng is expected to move generally westward until Thursday morning or noon before turning west northwestward or northwestward until Sunday afternoon while moving towards northern Luzon.
A landfall scenario is possible within any of the coastal areas along the eastern portion of mainland Cagayan Valley or the northern portion of Aurora on Sunday.
Paeng is also expected to intensify into a tropical storm by Thursday, and may reach typhoon category by Saturday.
A typhoon packs winds of up to 184 kph and no. 4 is the highest wind signal.
“Landfall at or near peak intensity is increasingly likely,” PAGASA also said.
The country’s 16th storm this year, Paeng will be the fifth storm to hit the province of Cagayan should it stay on its forecast track.
Cagayan was directly hit by Florita and Neneng and had rains from the Shear Line during the passage of Maymay and Obet. Because of the impacts of those storms, the province was recently placed under state of calamity.
An average of 20 storms hit the Philippines annually.
For more updates, visit the ABS-CBN Weather Center.
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