MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE 4 -12:29 p.m.) Tropical storm “Urduja” (international name “Kai-Tak) resumed its “slow movement” late Friday morning, December 15, towards its expected Saturday landfall over Eastern Samar or neighboring Northern Samar after intensifying slightly and hovering “almost stationary” earlier.
Urduja was last tracked at 240 kilometers east of Borongan City, Eastern Samar at 10 a.m. Friday, packing winds of 75 kilometers per hour near the center gusting to 90 kph as it moved northwest at 5 kph.
After its initial landfall, Urduja is projected to cut across the central Philippines over the weekend until early next week, crossing Samar and Masbate before striking northern Panay and Palawan, according to the storm’s projected track plotted by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
Pagasa has raised tropical cyclone warning signal No. 2, meaning winds of 61-120 kph are expected in 24 hours, over the Samar provinces and Biliran.
Signal No. 1, or 30-60 kph winds in 36 hours, is up over Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Romblon, and Masbate including Burias and Ticao Islands in the Bicol region; Leyte and Southern Leyte in Eastern Visayas; northern Cebu including Bantayan Island and northern Bohol in Central Visayas; Capiz, Aklan, and northern Iloilo in Western Visayas; and Dinagat Islands in Mindanao.
On Friday, the Office of Civil Defense in the Mimaropa region reported that 1,372 passengers and 281 rolling cargoes are stranded in three ports in the region: Dangay port in Roxas town and Bulalacao port in Bulalacao, both in Oriental Mindoro; and Poctoy port in Odiongan, Romblon.
Classes have been suspended in areas affected by Urduja:
ALL LEVELS
- Albay
- Biliran Island
- Camarines Sur
- Catbalogan City, Samar
- Maasin City, Leyte
- Masbate
- Naga
- Northern Samar
- Ormoc City, Leyte
- Sorsogon
- Southern Leyte State University
- Sulat, Eastern Samar
- Tacloban
- Taft, Eastern Samar
ELEMENTARY TO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
- Eastern Samar
- Catanduanes
- Samar
- Mandaue City (public only)
PRE-SCHOOL TO ELEMENTARY
- Cebu province
PRE-SCHOOL
- Aklan
- Bantayan Island
- Capiz
- Leyte
- Northern Cebu
- Northern Iloilo
- Rombon
- Southern Leyte
The following flights have also been cancelled flights due to bad weather:
- 2P 2981/2982 Manila – Tacloban – Manila (PAL Express)
- 2P 2921/2922 Manila – Legazpi – Manila
- M8 421/422 Manila – Siargao – Manila (Skyjet)
- 5J 659/660 Manila – Tacloban – Manila (Cebu Pacific)
- DG 6177/6178 Manila – Masbate – Manila (Cebgo)
Rainfall within the storm’s 500-km diameter will be moderate to heavy.
Pagasa warned of “serious flooding and landslides” in the Samar provinces and Biliran and also raised this possibility in the rest of Eastern Visayas, the Bicol region, Romblon, Marinduque, northern Cebu, Capiz, Aklan, northern Iloilo, and Dinagat Islands because of rains with gusty winds.
The weather bureau recorded the following rainfall volume in the following Samar and Leyte municipalities over the past 24 hours:
- Guiuan, Eastern Samar – 780mm
- Borongan, Eastern Samar – 343mm
- Catbalogan, Samar – 215 mm
- Tacloban, Leyte – 192.4mm
- Maasin, Leyte – 95.4mm
The rest of the Visayas and Mindanao, the Calabarzon region, and Mindoro and Palawan provinces can expect cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.
The northeast monsoon will bring cloudy skies and scattered rains to Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon but will otherwise have no signifcant impact.
Pagasa said sea travel remains risky on the eastern seaboards of Bicol and the Visayas.
Here are Urduja’s forecast positions over the next few days:
- 24 Hour(Tomorrow morning): 110 km East Northeast of Borongan City, Eastern Samar(12.1°N, 126.3°E)
- 48 Hour(Sunday morning):In the vicinity of Calbayog City, Samar(12.2°N, 124.7°E)
- 72 Hour(Monday morning): 85 km West of Roxas City, Capiz(11.7°N, 122.0°E)
- 96 Hour(Tuesday morning):120 km North of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan(10.8°N, 118.8°E)
- 120 Hour(Wednesday morning):325 km West of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan(9.8°N, 115.8°E)
(with a report from Ryan Ang, News5)
