The state weather bureau said moderate to heavy rains will be expected in northern Palawan including the Calamian Group of Islands while the rest of the province will have mostly light to moderate rains due to the direct effect of tropical storm Dante and slight intensification of southwest monsoon.
Weather specialist Benison Estareja of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Thursday Palawan is under a yellow rainfall warning wherein floods are possible in low-lying areas.
“Ang cloud bands ni Dante ay dito sa West Philippine Sea naka-concentrate at nakakaapekto rin sa may western portion of central and southern Luzon,” he said.
Tropical storm Dante was located over the coastal waters of Sta. Cruz, Zambales as of 3:00 in the morning and is moving north-northwestward at 25 kph.
It has maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 90 kph.
Based on the track and intensity outlook, Dante is forecast to move north-northwestward over the coastal waters of Zambales and Pangasinan, then move north over the West Philippine Sea.
“Within the next 24 hours, ang general movement nitong si bagyong Dante ay northward so simula kaninang madaling-araw hanggang mamayang hapon ay inaasahan na pa-norte ito so didikit pa rin sa coastal waters ng northern Zambales at Pangasinan. Then aakyat dito sa western coast ng Ilocos region na medyo malayo na sa kalupaan,” he said.
In the next 48 hours, Dante is expected to weaken as a low-pressure area (LPA) and will traverse the northeastward direction.
The tropical cyclone wind signal (TCWS) no. Q2 is raised over Zambales and the western portion of Pangasinan. While the TCWS no. 1 is raised over a central portion of Pangasinan, Bataan, Tarlac, Pampanga, the western portion of Bulacan, the western portion of Cavite, the western portion of Batangas, and Lubang Island.
Meanwhile, the LPA has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) and was located at 1, 135 kilometers east of southern Luzon as of 2:00 in the morning.
Based on PAGASA’s assessment, it remains less likely to develop into a storm while traversing the north-northwestward direction in the West Philippine Sea.
