Pagasa: 'Ramil' to be felt Tuesday night; signal 2 in 5 areas

The effects of typhoon "Ramil" (Lupit) will be felt starting Tuesday evening as the cyclone approaches the northern Luzon area, which is still recovering from the destruction caused by successive weather disturbances the past three weeks. In a radio interview, Nathaniel Cruz, weather sciences bureau chief of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Service Administration (Pagasa), said storm signals have been hoisted over 15 areas in northern Luzon. Under signal no. 2 are the Batanes Group of Islands, Cagayan province, Calayan Islands, and Isabela province. Areas placed under signal no. 1 are the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Aurora, and Polillo Island. In the same radio interview, Cruz said the effects of Ramil could be felt as early as Tuesday night, as it is expected to hover on Cagayan province, then over Apayao, then Ilocos Norte, before exiting to the South China Sea. Although Ramil is only passing through northern Luzon, weather for the rest of the island (Luzon) would be likewise affected, he added.

Pagasa last spotted Ramil 820 kilometers east northeast of Aparri in Cagayan, with maximum sustained winds of 195 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 230 kph. With a speed of 17 kph, Ramil is expected to be 120 km northeast of Aparri in Cagayan by Thursday morning. Cruz added that storm warnings in several areas are expected to be elevated further to signal no. 3 as Ramil continues its approach. Although Ramil is still hundreds of kilometers away from land, Pagasa hoisted Signal No. 2 as the typhoon is expected to intensify winds on land in the next 24 hours. "Patuloy na lumalapit sa northern Luzon ang bagyo. Ang kanyang hangin ay 195 kph, so habang lumalapit na iyan [lumalakas na din ang hangin sa lupa]… Ito ay mararanasan sa 24 na oras," Cruz said. Storm signal no.2 is raised when winds in an area reaches between 61 to 100 kilometers per hour. Pagasa chief Prisco Nilo said in a press conference Tuesday noon that he projects Ramil to bring rains of between 20 to 25 millimeters per hour. “Kung titingnan, may kalakasaan na iyang ganyan (Rains of that volume is already considered too much)," he said. Dams As of Tuesday morning, five major dams in Luzon continue releasing water. Of the five dams, the Magat Dam in Isabela releases the biggest volume of water at 1,824 cubic meter per second through four of its flood gates. Other dams releasing water include the Ambuklao Dam (58 cms through 4 gates), Binga Dam (132 cms through one gate), San Roque Dam (424 cms through 2 gates), and Pantabangan (220 cms through one gate). - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV