Typhoon “Betty” continues to move northward over the sea east of Taiwan, according to PAGASA in its latest tropical cyclone bulletin.

The weather bureau added that the typhoon will gradually accelerate throughout the forecast period.

“After moving northward or north-northeastward between tonight and tomorrow, the typhoon will then turn east-northeastward as it makes a close approach or landfall over the central Ryukyu Islands (i.e., Okinawa Island),” PAGASA said, adding that “Betty” will be outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by Friday early morning.

In the Philippines, however, Typhoon “Betty” is expected to steadily weaken throughout the forecast period due to “cooler ocean waters, dry air intrusion, and increasing vertical wind shear”.

PAGASA said the typhoon may be downgraded into a “severe tropical storm” tomorrow and into a “tropical storm” on Saturday.