Weather: 'Ramon' continues northwest path; rain expected till afternoon

Tropical Depression Ramon (Banyan) continued to move away from Philippine territory early Friday, but may still bring rain to some parts of Luzon and the Visayas until at least in the afternoon. Ramon has claimed nine lives as of Friday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. In a radio interview, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration forecaster Gener Quitlong said they expect the weather to improve late Friday. "(Mag-i-improve ang ating panahon) kung sakali mamayang hapon o gabi (We expect the weather to start improving in the afternoon or evening)," Quitlong said in an interview on dzBB radio. But he said that as of Friday morning, their satellite images indicate clouds over parts of Luzon, including flood-hit Bulacan province. For his part, Science Undersecretary Graciano Yumul Jr. hinted at a cyclone-free weekend as any possible new cyclone is not expected until next week. "Makikita natin yan Miyerkules or Huwebes next week... Ang ating Sabado at Linggo improved weather sa Pilipinas. Ang ating kababayan pwede maglinis o mag-repair kung may nasalanta sa kanila," Yumul aid in an interview on dwIZ radio. PAGASA said that as of 4 a.m., Ramon was estimated at 300 km west-northwest of Iba, Zambales, packing maximum winds of 55 kph near the center. In its 5 a.m. bulletin, PAGASA said Ramon is forecast to move northwest at 19 kph. Heading for Vietnam? The Joint Typhoon Warning Center indicated that Ramon may track across the northern South China Sea and move towards Vietnam. In its update, the JTWC said Ramon may intensify into a tropical storm as it nears the Vietnamese coast but dissipate overland. Also, it indicated that Ramon will move west and west-southwest as it nears Vietnam. — RSJ, GMA News