In a weather bulletin issued at 11:00 AM today, PAGASA announced that Tropical Depression “Urduja” has further weakened after crossing Palawan. It has made its sixth landfall in Taytay, Palawan earlier this morning. Prior to this, it traversed other portions of Southern Luzon and Visayas. Below is the chronology of landfall activities:

– San Policarpio, Eastern Samar
December 16, 2017 (1:30 PM)

– Mobo, Masbate
December 17, 2017 (10:00 AM)

– Sibuyan Island, Romblon
December 17, 2017 (12:00 PM)

– Malay, Aklan
December 17, 2107 (6:00 PM)

– Cuyo Island, Palawan
December 17, 2017 (11:00 PM)

The center or the Tropical Depression was last spotted at 90 kilometers (km) north-northwest of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan with maximum winds of up to 45 kph and gustiness of up to 60 kph. Moving west at 18 kph, it is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) tomorrow morning or afternoon.

Signal Number 1 remains hoisted in Palawan, where winds of 30 to 60 kph are expected in the next 36 hours. Residents are advised to prepare for rains with gusty winds and are alerted against flash floods and landslides.

Meanwhile, due to the Tail-End of a cold front, CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Bicol Region and the provinces of Aurora, Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon will experience cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.

The Northeast Monsoon, locally known as Hanging Amihan, also prevails and will continue to bring cooler weather in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon. However, along with the cold weather are cloudy skies with scattered rains. Visayas and Mindanao can expect partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

Gale warning is up in the seaboards of Northern and Central Luzon, which include Batanes, Calayan, Babuyan, Cagayan, Ilocos province, Isabela, La Union, Pangasinan, Aurora, Zambales and Bataan. The same warning is in effect in the western and eastern seaboards of Southern Luzon and the eastern seaboard of Visayas. These include Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, western coast of Batangas and of Cavite, the northern and eastern coasts of Camarines provinces, Catanduanes, as well as the eastern coasts of Albay, Sorsogon, Quezon, Polillo Island, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar. Fishing boats and other small seacraft are prohibited from sailing due to rough to very rough sea conditions.

Meanwhile, the Tropical Depression outside the PAR has weakened into a Low Pressure Area (LPA) and was last located at 1,500 km east of Mindanao. PAGASA Weather Forecaster Robert “Obet” Badrina said it may still re-intensify into a cyclone and could still enter the PAR within the week. The weather bureau reminds the public, including disaster risk reduction and management offices, to keep monitoring updates.

Tropical Storm Urduja remains almost stationary as it moves off the coast of Eastern Samar.

At 10:00 AM, the storm was at 240 kilometers east of Borongan, Eastern Samar. It has maximum winds of 75 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of 90 kph. Based on PAGASA’s 11:00 AM weather bulletin, scattered to widespread rains will continue over Eastern Visayas and Caraga and are expected to prevail over Bicol Region and the rest of Visayas within 24 hours. By coordinating with their respective local government and disaster risk reduction and management offices, residents of these areas should take precautionary measures against flooding and landslides.

Moving northwest at 5 kph, Urduja is expected to make landfall over Northern Samar – Eastern Samar area tomorrow. It is also forecast to cross Visayas and Southern Luzon before weakening into a Low Pressure Area (LPA) on December 20.

Ahead of the storm’s landfall, several areas in Samar Island have been submerged with floods:

WEATHER TODAY
Nineteen areas remain under tropical cyclone warning signals, alerting residents to stay alert for possible flash floods and landslides.

Today, Samar provinces and Biliran will experience a stormy weather. The rest of Eastern Visayas, Bicol Region, Romblon, Marinduque, Northern Cebu, Capiz, Aklan, Northern Iloilo, and Dinagat Islands will experience rains with gusty winds. Likewise, the rest of Visayas and Mindanao, CALABARZON, and the provinces of Mindoro and Palawan will have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorm. In the rest of Luzon including Metro Manila, cloudy skies will prevail except for scattered rains.

As of 11:00 AM today, Tropical Depression Urduja has slightly intensified and slowed down as it threatens Samar provinces. Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal Number 1 is still hoisted in 17 areas, where winds of 30-60 kph is expected in 36 hours. Residents are alerted against possible flash floods and landslides.

Moving west at 7kph, Urduja is expected to make landfall over Eastern Samar tomorrow morning. Here’s our latest report as of 11:00 AM today: