Butchoy nears Taiwan; monsoon rains in PH on Friday

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MANILA, Philippines – Typhoon Butchoy (Nepartak) continued to slow down on Thursday afternoon, July 7, as it headed for Taiwan.

As of 4 pm, Butchoy was 160 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, moving west northwest at a slower 17 kilometers per hour (km/h).

The typhoon slightly weakened with maximum winds of 205 km/h and gustiness of up to 240 km/h, but remains a strong cyclone.

Signal number 2 is still raised over Batanes, while the Babuyan Group of Islands remains under signal number 1.

PAGASA said there would be moderate to heavy rains within the typhoon’s 650-km diameter.

The state weather bureau also advised fishermen not to set sail in Northern Luzon, as well as the eastern seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon.

Butchoy is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Friday, July 8.

Though the typhoon did not make landfall in the Philippines, it is enhancing the southwest monsoon, which is affecting Southern Luzon and the Visayas.

On Friday, monsoon rains are expected in Cavite, Batangas, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, and Panay.

There will also be occasional rainshowers in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon and the Visayas, as well as the Zamboanga Peninsula.

The rest of the country will have isolated rains or thunderstorms.

City	Forecast		Temperature Range
Metro Manila		Occasional rains	25°C-30°C
Tuguegarao		Occasional rains	25°C-33°C
Laoag		Occasional rains	25°C-32°C
Baguio		Occasional rains	16°C-23°C
Subic/Olongapo; Clark/Angeles		Monsoon rains	24°C-30°C
Tagaytay		Monsoon rains	23°C-27°C
Lipa		Monsoon rains	22°C-29°C
Legazpi		Occasional rains	26°C-31°C
Puerto Princesa		Occasional rains	25°C-32°C
Iloilo/Bacolod		Monsoon rains	24°C-29°C
Metro Cebu		Occasional rains	26°C-31°C
Tacloban		Occasional rains	25°C-31°C
Cagayan de Oro		Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms	25°C-33°C
Valencia		Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms	19°C-28°C
Metro Davao		Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms	26°C-34°C
Zamboanga		Occasional rains	24°C-33°C

Earlier, the state weather bureau had warned it would be a rainy weekend in parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, because of the southwest monsoon.

PAGASA said floods and landslides are possible in Mindoro, Bataan, Zambales, Pangasinan, and Benguet this weekend. – Rappler.com