MANILA, Philippines – The eyewall of Super Typhoon Karding (Noru) started to affect Quezon province’s Polillo Islands on Sunday afternoon, September 25, bringing fierce winds and torrential rain.

The eyewall, which surrounds the eye or center, is the most destructive part of a tropical cyclone.

By late Sunday afternoon, Karding was already over the coastal waters of Burdeos, Polillo Islands, continuing to move west at 20 kilometers per hour (km/h).

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its 5 pm bulletin that Karding is likely to make landfall in the northern part of Quezon on Sunday evening.

But the weather bureau is still not ruling out the possibility of the super typhoon making landfall in Polillo Islands.

Karding continued to have maximum sustained winds of 195 km/h and gustiness of up to 240 km/h late Sunday afternoon. It is now expected to maintain its strength before landfall.

These are the areas under tropical cyclone wind signals as of 5 pm on Sunday:

Signal No. 5

Typhoon-force winds (185 km/h or higher), extreme threat to life and property

• Polillo Islands
• extreme northern part of Quezon (northern and central parts of General Nakar, northeastern part of Infanta)
• extreme southern part of Aurora (Dingalan)
• extreme southern part of Nueva Ecija (General Tinio, Gapan City, Peñaranda, San Isidro, Cabiao)
• eastern and central parts of Bulacan (San Rafael, Angat, Norzagaray, Doña Remedios Trinidad, San Ildefonso, San Miguel)
• extreme northern part of Rizal (Rodriguez)
• eastern part of Pampanga (Candaba, Arayat)

Signal No. 4

Typhoon-force winds (118 to 184 km/h), significant to severe threat to life and property

• Calaguas Islands
• central and southern parts of Nueva Ecija (Cuyapo, Nampicuan, Guimba, Licab, Zaragoza, San Antonio, San Leonardo, Jaen, Santa Rosa, Palayan City, Gabaldon, Laur, Cabanatuan City, Aliaga, Quezon, Santo Domingo, Talavera, Llanera, General Mamerto Natividad, Rizal, Bongabon, Talugtug, Science City of Muñoz)
• northern part of Metro Manila (Marikina City, Caloocan City, Malabon City, Navotas City, Valenzuela City, Quezon City)
• Tarlac
• rest of Pampanga
• rest of Bulacan
• Zambales
• northern part of Bataan (Dinalupihan, Hermosa, Morong, Orani, Samal, Abucay)
• southern part of Pangasinan (Bautista, Alcala, Bayambang, Mangatarem, Urbiztondo, Aguilar, Bugallon, Infanta, Dasol, Burgos, Mabini, Labrador)
• extreme northern part of Laguna (Famy, Siniloan, Santa Maria, Pangil)

Signal No. 3

Storm-force winds (89 to 117 km/h), moderate to significant threat to life and property

• central part of Aurora (Dipaculao)
• southeastern part of Nueva Vizcaya (Alfonso Castañeda, Dupax del Sur, Dupax del Norte)
• rest of Nueva Ecija
• rest of Bataan
• rest of Pangasinan
• rest of Metro Manila
• rest of Rizal
• northern and central parts of Laguna (Mabitac, Pakil, Paete, Kalayaan, Lumban, Cavinti, Pagsanjan, Luisiana, Majayjay, Magdalena, Santa Cruz, Pila, Liliw, Nagcarlan, Victoria, Rizal, San Pedro City, Biñan City, Santa Rosa City, Cabuyao City, Calamba City, Los Baños, Bay, Calauan)
• northern and central parts of Cavite (Tanza, Rosario, Noveleta, Kawit, Imus City, Bacoor City, Dasmariñas City, Carmona, General Mariano Alvarez, Silang, Amadeo, General Trias City, Trece Martires City, Naic, Indang)
• rest of northern part of Quezon (Infanta, Real, General Nakar, Mauban)
• northern part of Camarines Norte (Vinzons, Paracale, Jose Panganiban, Capalonga)

Signal No. 2

Gale-force winds (62 to 88 km/h), minor to moderate threat to life and property

• southern part of Isabela (Dinapigue, San Guillermo, Echague, San Agustin, Jones)
• Quirino
• rest of Nueva Vizcaya
• Benguet
• La Union
• rest of Aurora
• rest of Cavite
• Batangas
• rest of Laguna
• central part of Quezon (Calauag, Perez, Alabat, Quezon, Tagkawayan, Guinayangan, Sampaloc, Lucban, Tayabas City, Lucena City, Pagbilao, Padre Burgos, Atimonan, Agdangan, Unisan, Plaridel, Gumaca, Lopez, Pitogo, Dolores, Candelaria, Sariaya, Tiaong, San Antonio, Macalelon, General Luna, Catanauan, Buenavista)
• rest of Camarines Norte
• northern part of Camarines Sur (Del Gallego, Ragay, Lupi, Sipocot, Libmanan, Pamplona, Pasacao, San Fernando, Pili, Minalabac, Ocampo, Tigaon, Cabusao, Magarao, Gainza, Canaman, Camaligan, Milaor, Naga City, Bombon, Calabanga, Tinambac, Siruma, Goa, Lagonoy, San Jose, Garchitorena, Presentacion, Caramoan, Sagñay)
• Catanduanes

Signal No. 1

Strong winds (39 to 61 km/h), minimal to minor threat to life and property

• southern part of Cagayan (Tuao, Solana, Enrile, Tuguegarao City, Iguig, Peñablanca)
• rest of Isabela
• southern part of Apayao (Conner)
• Kalinga
• Abra
• Mountain Province
• Ifugao
• southern part of Ilocos Norte (Nueva Era, Badoc, Pinili, Banna, Batac City, Currimao, Paoay, Marcos)
• Ilocos Sur
• rest of Quezon
• northern part of Occidental Mindoro (Abra de Ilog, Paluan, Mamburao, Santa Cruz) including Lubang Islands
• northern part of Oriental Mindoro (Puerto Galera, San Teodoro, Baco, Calapan City, Naujan, Victoria, Pola, Socorro, Pinamalayan)
• Marinduque
• rest of Camarines Sur
• Albay
• Sorsogon
• Burias Island
• Ticao Island

PAGASA also warned of widespread floods and landslides as Karding triggers heavy to torrential rain in Luzon.

Sunday afternoon, September 25, to early Monday morning, September 26

Heavy to intense rain, with at times torrential rain

• Metro Manila
• Zambales
• Bataan
• Tarlac
• Pampanga
• Nueva Ecija
• Bulacan
• Aurora
• Rizal
• northern part of Quezon including Polillo Islands

Moderate to heavy rain, with at times intense rain

• Isabela
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Quirino
• Benguet
• Ifugao
• Mountain Province
• Pangasinan
• Cavite
• Laguna
• Batangas
• central part of Quezon
• Occidental Mindoro
• Camarines Norte

Light to moderate rain, with at times heavy rain

• Oriental Mindoro
• Marinduque
• rest of Calabarzon
• rest of Bicol

Early Monday morning to early Monday afternoon, September 26

Heavy to intense rain, with at times torrential rain

• Zambales
• Bataan
• Pampanga
• Bulacan

Moderate to heavy rain, with at times intense rain

• Metro Manila
• Pangasinan
• Cavite
• Occidental Mindoro
• rest of Central Luzon

Light to moderate rain, with at times heavy rain

• Mountain Province
• Ifugao
• Benguet
• Quirino
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Oriental Mindoro
• rest of Calabarzon

The weather bureau issued a separate advisory for the southwest monsoon or hanging habagat at 1:30 pm on Sunday.

The southwest monsoon is bringing moderate to heavy rain to Western Visayas, and light to heavy rain to Palawan and the Zamboanga Peninsula on Sunday. Floods and landslides are possible, too.

Meanwhile, storm surge warnings remain in effect:

High to very high risk of storm surges

More than 3 meters high

• northern Quezon including Polillo Islands
• Aurora

Moderate to high risk of storm surges

• Camarines Norte
• Pangasinan
• Zambales
• Bulacan
• northern part of Metro Manila
• southern part of La Union
• rest of Quezon

PAGASA warned that the combined effects of storm surges and high waves breaking along the coast may cause “life-threatening and damaging” floods.

The weather bureau also issued a new gale warning at 5 pm on Sunday, covering the following seaboards:

Very rough to phenomenal seas

Waves 10.3 to 14.1 meters high

• eastern seaboard of Central Luzon and Southern Luzon (Aurora, eastern coast of Quezon including Polillo, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes)

Rough to very rough seas

Waves 2.8 to 4.5 meters high

• eastern and western seaboards of Northern Luzon (Cagayan, La Union, Pangasinan, Isabela)
• western seaboard of Central Luzon and Southern Luzon, as well as southern seaboard of Southern Luzon (Zambales, Bataan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Romblon, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, southwestern coast of Camarines Sur, southern coast of Quezon)

Such conditions are risky for all vessels.

After Karding’s expected landfall, it will cross Central Luzon for the rest of Sunday, then emerge over the West Philippine Sea via the coastal waters of Zambales or Pangasinan by early Monday morning, September 26. It may weaken as it crosses land, but would probably still be a typhoon.

Karding may leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Monday.

Karding is the Philippines’ 11th tropical cyclone for 2022.

It is also the third tropical cyclone for September, after Typhoon Inday (Muifa) and Super Typhoon Josie (Nanmadol). Inday and Josie did not make landfall in the country.

PAGASA expects 7 to 11 tropical cyclones to enter or develop inside PAR from September 2022 to February 2023. Per month, these are the weather bureau’s estimates:

• September 2022 – 2 or 3
• October 2022 – 2 to 4
• November 2022 – 2 or 3
• December 2022 – 1 or 2
• January 2023 – 0 or 1
• February 2023 – 0 or 1

– Rappler.com