Severe Tropical Storm Siony maintains its strength while moving over Bashi Channel. Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal no 2. is still raised over Batanes.
At 10:00 AM today, the center of Severe Tropical Storm Siony was estimated based on all available data at 50 km Northwest of Itbayat, Batanes. It is moving Westward at 20 km/h with maximum sustained winds of 95 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 115 km/h.
On the forecast track, Siony will continue moving westward to west-northwestward and pass over the sea off the southern coast of Taiwan within 12 hours. Siony is forecast to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) tonight. Afterwards, it will turn southwestward tomorrow morning over the sea to the southwest of Taiwan and move over the West Philippine Sea.
Siony is forecast to maintain its strength in the next 12 hours, then will significantly weaken due to increasingly unfavorable conditions associated with a surge of the northeasterlies over the West Philippine Sea. It may be downgraded to a Low Pressure Area on Sunday afternoon.
Areas under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal #2 are currently experiencing damaging gale- to storm-force winds, while those under TCWS #1 are currently experiencing strong breeze to near gale conditions.
Signal no. 2 remains over Batanes due to Siony
Today, the passage of Siony will bring moderate to heavy rains over Batanes and Babuyan Islands. Flooding (including flashfloods) and rain-induced landslides may occur during heavy or prolonged rainfall especially in areas identified in geohazard maps as highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards.
In the next 24 hours, rough to high seas (3.0 to 8.0 m) will prevail over the coastal waters of Batanes and Babuyan Islands while the northern seaboards of Ilocos Norte, Apayao, and Cagayan and areas under gale warning will be experiencing rough to very rough seas (3.0 to 4.5 m).
The Low Pressure Area outside the PAR was estimated at 1,195 km East of Mindanao. It is forecast to move generally west-northwestward or northwestward and may enter the PAR this afternoon or evening. It is heading towards the direction of
Eastern Visayas and may likely reach the area tomorrow afternoon or evening. This weather disturbance may develop into Tropical Depression “TONYO” within the next 48 hours.
