‘Ferdie’ Intensifies; Batanes, Babuyan Group of Islands Under Signal No. 1

Typhoon “Ferdie” has intensified while continuously heading northwest at 22 kilometers per hour, state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Monday.

Signal no. 1 was raised over Batanes and Babuyan Group of Islands as moderate to heavy rains within 300 km of the typhoon is expected.

In its 5 a.m. bulletin, PAGASA said “Ferdie” has a maximum sustained winds of up to 165 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 200 kph. The center of the typhoon was last eyed at 1,015 km east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.

PAGASA said “Ferdie” will exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by Thursday or Friday morning.

Meanwhile, cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and thunderstorms is expected over Mindanao, Visayas, Bicol and Palawan.

The rest of the country, on the other hand, will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

Moderate to occasionally strong winds will blow from southwest to southeast over Luzon, and its coastal waters will be moderate to occasionally rough.

Elsewhere, PAGASA said winds light to moderate winds will blow from southwest to west with slight to moderate seas. (PNA) JMC/MCCA