‘Leon’ threatens Batanes islands as it heads westward

Severe Tropical Storm ‘Leon’ poses a significant threat to the Batanes Islands as it continues its west-northwestward movement.

Based on PAGASA’s latest weather bulletin, the storm was last located at 725 kilometers, east of Echague, Isabela.

‘Leon’ is carrying winds of 100 kilometers per hour and gustiness up to 125 kilometers per hour.

It is moving at the speed of 15 kilometers per hour in a west-northwestward direction.

In Northern and Central Luzon, Signal No. 1 is raised in the whole Cagayan Valley, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, the northern portion of Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Aurora, and the northern portion of Quezon.

In the Bicol region, the areas of Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, the eastern portion of Camarines Sur, the eastern portion of Albay, and the northeastern portion of Sorsogon are also under Signal No. 1.

The eastern portion of Northern Samar and the northern portion of Eastern Samar is also included in the storm signal.

A gale warning has been issued in the northern seaboards of Northern Luzon, with waves of 2.5 meters to 4.5 meters can be expected in the area.

Due to the continuous westward shift in Leon’s movement, a close approach or even a landfall in Batanes is not ruled out by the state weather bureau.

If the forecasted track won’t change, the storm is expected to pass close to Batanes on Thursday, 31 October, before making landfall in southern Taiwan later that day.

The highest storm warning signals that may be issued during the storm’s passage are Signal No. 3 or No. 4; however, the possibility of raising Signal #5—the highest warning level—remains on the table, particularly for extreme northern Luzon.

The storm is expected to undergo rapid intensification as it passes over the warm waters of the Philippine Sea. It is forecasted to intensify into a typhoon within the next 24 hours, and there is an increasing chance that ‘Leon’ may be a super typhoon before its close approach to Batanes.