MANILA - Severe Tropical Storm Odette has entered the Philippine area of responsibility Tuesday night, PAGASA said.
The state weather bureau said the storm, which carries the international name Rai, entered the PAR at 7 p.m.
PAGASA will begin issuing Tropical Cyclone Bulletins about Odette at 11 p.m., it said.
When the storm was spotted around 3 p.m. some 1,000 kilometers east of Mindanao, it was packing maximum sustained winds of up to 100 kph and gustiness of up to 120 kph. It was moving west northwest at 25 kph.
The weather disturbance is expected to cause rains in Eastern Visayas, the CARAGA region, and Davao, with the potential to trigger flooding and landslides, according to PAGASA.
The agency had warned that tropical cyclone warning no. 3 may be raised over parts of the country due to the storm. It also said that Odette's wind speeds could reach up to 155 kph.
"Kaya pong makapag-patumba yan ng mga puno, mga poste, at makasira po ng struktura lalo na po yung mga bahay na gawa sa light materials," ABS-CBN Weather Specialist Ariel Rojas said on TeleRadyo.
"On top of that mayroon ka pang malalakas na ulan na posibleng magdulot ng mga pagbaha, malawakang pagbaha at pagguho ng lupa."
(It can bring down trees, electrical posts, and destroy structures especially houses made of light materials. On top of that, heavy rains may trigger widespread flooding and landslides.)
After the storm makes its expected landfall in CARAGA on Friday, Rojas said it could cross Visayas before reaching the West Philippine Sea by Saturday.
He added, the storm may affect the Northeast monsoon and trigger rains in Northern and Eastern Luzon, including Metro Manila.
PAGASA expects up to two more storms to enter the PAR before the end of the year.
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