Rainy Wednesday as TD #UrdujaPH holds course, could become tropical storm

December 12, 2017 - 11:29 PM
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Pagasa satellite image showing weather conditions early Wednesday morning, December 13.

MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE – 6:44 a.m.) It will be a wet Wednesday as tropical depression Urduja holds its course, bringing widespread rain showers and thunderstorms from the southern part of Luzon all the way down to Mindanao, and the northeast monsoon bringing scattered rains to the rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila.

Early Wednesday morning, Urduja was tracked 455 kilometers east of Surigao City packing maximum winds of 55 kilometers per hour with gusts of up to 65 kph as it moves north-northwest at 7 kph.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions can expect widespread showers and thunderstorms and warned of possible flashfloods and landslides from occasionally heavy rains in Mindanao, the rest of theVisayas and the Mimaropa and Calabarzon regions.

Camarines Sur has suspended classes at all levels, Albay from pre-school to elementary, in anticipation of Urduja.

The scattered rains brought by the northeast monsoon to the rest of Luzon will have no significant impact, Pagasa said.

Should Urduja’s course hold steady, the storm could cut across the central Philippines over the weekend to early next week, according to Pagasa’s forecast track.

It will be dangerous for fisherfolk to venture out over the eastern seaboard of the Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Caraga regions because of moderate to rough seas associated with the approaching tropical depression.

If it does not change trajectory, by Wednesday evening, it is expected to be about 415 km East of Guiuan, Eastern Samar (coordinates 10.7°N, 129.5°E)

On Thursday evening: 295 km East of Guiuan, Eastern Samar (11.4°N, 128.4°E)

On Friday evening: 155 km East Northeast of Borongan City, Eastern Samar (11.9°N, 126.8°E)

Saturday evening: 30 km Northeast of Catarman, Northern Samar (12.7°N, 124.8°E)

Sunday evening: In the vicinity of San Francisco, Quezon (13.4°N, 122.5°E)