Photo courtesy of DOST-PAGASA
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‘Podul’ seen entering PAR as ‘Gorio’

Kimberly Anne Ojeda

Severe tropical storm "Podul" was forecasted to possibly enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) between Sunday evening and Monday morning, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

In its 11 a.m. advisory on Sunday, the weather bureau said Podul was estimated at 1,680 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon, outside PAR, with maximum sustained winds of 110 kph and gustiness of up to 135 kph.

Once "Podul" enters PAR, it will be given the local name Gorio.

Podul’s change of track may raise a tropical cyclone signal warning over Batanes, but it is not expected to directly affect most parts of the country within the next five days.

It is also forecast to move close to or over the southern Ryukyu Islands in Japan before making landfall in Taiwan on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon (habagat) will continue to bring scattered rains and thunderstorms over parts of Luzon on Sunday.

Metro Manila, Zambales, Cavite, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro and Palawan will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

The rest of the country will generally experience partly cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to localized thunderstorms, with possible flash floods or landslides.