By ALEXANDRIA DENNISE SAN JUAN
Typhoon “Rolly” (international name “Goni”) continues to intensify as it barrels towards the Luzon landmass Friday.
Rolly will make its first landfall over the Aurora-Quezon area between Sunday night and Monday morning, the State weather bureau said.
In its 11 a.m. weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration said Rolly was last spotted 1,100 kilometers east of Central Luzon (16.3°N, 132.4°E), moving west at 15 kilometers per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 165 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 205 kph.
No tropical cyclone wind signal has been raised as Rolly is still too far to affect any part of the country.
Saturday morning, Rolly will be 815 kms east of Infanta, Quezon (15.3°N, 129.2°E). The next morning, it will be 210 kms east of Daet, Camarines Norte (14.2°N, 124.9°E) and on Monday morning, it will be 70 kms west of Dagupan City, Pangasinan (16°N, 119.7°E).
Rolly rapidly intensified into a typhoon shortly after entering the Philippine Area of Responsibility as a severe tropical storm Thursday afternoon.
PAGASA weather specialist Loriedin dela Cruz said the typhoon is expected to further intensify before landfall as it is still moving in Philippine waters where there is a favorable environment condition to gain more strength.
PAGASA forecasts Rolly to move towards the coast of the Bicol region, then turn to the eastern coast of the Aurora-Quezon area where it is expected to make landfall between Sunday evening or early Monday at the peak intensity of 175 to 185 kph.
While still far from the country’s landmass, Dela Cruz said the typhoon will likely bring heavy to intense rains over Northern and Central Luzon and the Bicol region beginning Saturday or Sunday.
The trough or extension of the typhoon will bring light to moderate with at times heavy rains over the Bicol region, Visayas, Caraga, Northern Mindanao, and Zamboanga Peninsula today.
No areas have been placed under a tropical cyclone wind signal as of Friday morning but with the expected strong breeze to near-gale conditions due to Rolly, a storm warning signal could be raised over several provinces in the Bicol region Friday night.
With the continued intensification of the typhoon, Dela Cruz said that the highest possible storm warning signal that will be raised throughout the passage of the typhoon is signal No. 3 or 4 which means “destructive to very destructive typhoon-force winds” in areas directly in its path.
Rolly will likely begin to weaken once it slams into the Sierra Madre, the country’s longest mountain range from north to south of Luzon.
Rolly is the 18th tropical cyclone to enter the PAR this year and the fifth for October.
The Philippines has an average of 20 tropical cyclones annually, but more rains are expected in the coming months according to PAGASA due to the onset of La Niña.
The State weather agency is also monitoring a tropical storm outside PAR which was given the international name “Atsani” by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Atsani was spotted 2,320 kilometers east of Mindanao (10.5ºN, 145.1ºE) as of Friday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 65 kph near the center and gusts of up to 80 kph.
Moving northwest at 20 kph, PAGASA said it is expected to enter the PAR by Sunday or Monday and will be locally named “Siony.”
Atsani is less likely to bring severe weather to any locality of the country over the next three days, PAGASA added.
