Storm Signal No. 1 has been raised in greater than a dozen areas on account of Tropical Storm Nokaen, locally named Ada, based on the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) advisory on Friday.
The affected areas include the eastern portion of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate, Northern Samar, Samar, and Eastern Samar, PAGASA said in its 11:00 a.m. advisory.
The signal is likewise in effect in Biliran, the northern and central portions of Leyte, the eastern portion of Southern Leyte, Dinagat Islands, and Siargao–Bucas Grande Islands.
PAGASA said that under Storm Signal No. 1, winds of as much as 61 kilometers per hour could also be experienced inside the following 36 hours, which could cause minimal to minor damage to properties product of light materials.
The weather bureau added that the best wind signal which may be hoisted throughout the passage of Nokaen is Signal No. 2.
The storm has maintained its strength, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour and gusts of as much as 80 kph.
It was last positioned 325 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, moving northward at 15 kph.
As for its track, PAGASA said Nokaen is prone to pass near Eastern Samar and Northern Samar on Saturday, then near Catanduanes from Saturday evening through Sunday.
Although the most recent tracking shows that the storm is just not expected to make landfall, PAGASA said a possible landfall over Samar can’t be ruled out on account of the cyclone’s wide forecast cone, which indicates potential changes in direction.
Meanwhile, PAGASA also issued an orange heavy rainfall warning over Northern Samar and Eastern Samar, where rainfall of as much as 200 millimeters is predicted from Friday to Saturday noon.
Because of this as much as 200 liters of rain per square meter may fall over the affected areas, which could trigger flooding even in non–flood-prone locations, in addition to landslides in moderate- to high-risk areas, PAGASA said in a separate 11:00 a.m. advisory.— Edg Adrian A. Eva