Tropical Depression Ramil formed early Friday morning and is expected to bring rain and strong winds to parts of Luzon and Visayas in the coming days, the state weather bureau said.
As of 2 a.m., Ramil was located 1,145 kilometers east of southeastern Luzon, carrying maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 55 kph. It is moving west northwest slowly and has yet to affect any part of the country.
Forecaster Grace Castañed said the trough or extension of Ramil could bring scattered rain over the eastern parts of southern Luzon and the Visayas starting Friday afternoon.
“Sa kasalukuyan po ay hindi pa dama yung efekto nito sa anumang bahagi ng ating bansa,” she said.
By Saturday morning or afternoon, Ramil is expected to move closer to the Catanduanes area. It could make landfall in Aurora or Quezon by Sunday before crossing northern and central Luzon.
The weather bureau warned that scattered to heavy rainfall of 50 to 100 millimeters is possible in Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, and Northern Samar.
Signal No. 1 has been raised in the easternmost part of Quezon, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, parts of Camarines Sur, Albay, northern and eastern Sorsogon, and eastern Northern Samar.
“Ito pong wind signal natin ay meron tayong lead time na 36 hours. Ito po ay para makapaghanda yung ating mga kababayan,” Castañeda said.
The highest possible wind signal could reach Signal No. 2, but forecasters said Ramil might intensify into a severe tropical storm, prompting Signal No. 3.
The bureau advised the public to prepare for possible flooding and landslides. No gale warning was issued as of Friday morning, but sea conditions along the northern and eastern seaboards of Luzon will be moderate to rough.
Cloudy skies with scattered rain are expected in Albay, Sorsogon, Catanduanes, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Bicol, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Bulacan, Aurora, Isabela, and Cagayan.
