Manila: ‘Leon’ (international name Kong-Rey) has strengthened into a super typhoon, posing a significant threat to extreme Northern Luzon, as reported by the weather bureau on Wednesday. The typhoon is generating maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (kph) near its center and gustiness reaching up to 230 kph, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (PAGASA) 11 a.m. bulletin.
According to Philippines News Agency, the center of Typhoon Leon was located 350 kilometers east of Calayan, Cagayan as of 10 a.m. Several areas have been placed under tropical cyclone wind signal (TCWS) no. 3, including Batanes, the eastern portion of Babuyan Islands (Babuyan Is., Camiguin Is., Calayan Is.), and the northeastern part of mainland Cagayan (Santa Ana), where residents will experience strong to typhoon-force winds.
Gale-force winds are expected in areas under TCWS no. 2, which include the rest of Babuyan Islands, the remaining parts of mainland Cagayan, n
orthern and eastern sections of Isabela, Apayao, Kalinga, and the northern and eastern portions of Abra and Ilocos Norte. Meanwhile, strong winds will affect locations under TCWS no. 1, encompassing the rest of Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, and other regions including parts of Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, and Ilocos Sur.
PAGASA has indicated that TCWS no. 4 might be raised over Batanes by the afternoon due to potentially destructive typhoon-force winds, and the possibility of hoisting TCWS no. 5 is not dismissed. The bureau forecasts light to moderate, occasionally heavy rains across parts of Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Antique, Aklan, Negros, and Iloilo.
Moreover, PAGASA has reiterated the moderate to high risk of life-threatening storm surges reaching 2 to 3 meters above normal tide levels within the next 48 hours over low-lying or exposed coastal areas of Batanes and Babuyan Islands. A gale warning remains in effect over the seaboard of Northern Luzon and the eastern seaboards of Central and S
outhern Luzon, making sea travel risky for vessels of all types and tonnage.