Tropical depression “Perla” intensified into a tropical storm yesterday while hardly moving near Northern Luzon, the State weather bureau said.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration spotted Perla at 790 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes as of noon yesterday.
Perla, which has been given the international name “Neoguri,” packs maximum sustained winds of up to 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph.
The tropical storm remains almost stationary or hardly moving, PAGASA said.
The State weather agency had earlier said Perla is expected to weaken into a tropical depression and further weaken into a low-pressure area tomorrow while still inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility.
PAGASA weather specialist Ezra Bulquerin added that Perla is not expected to make landfall in any part of the country.
However, occasional gusty conditions may prevail over extreme Northern Luzon until early next week due to the prevailing northeasterly surface wind flow.
The northeasterly surface wind flow, or the initial rush of the northeast monsoon or “amihan,” will bring cloudy skies with light rains over Batanes and Cagayan.
Cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorm are expected to prevail over the Zamboanga Peninsula, Western Visayas, and Palawan due to the intertropical convergence zone. (Alexandria San Juan)
