Carina strengthens ahead of landfall in Cagayan

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MANILA, Philippines – Carina (Nida) strengthened into a severe tropical storm late Sunday morning, July 31, ahead of its expected landfall in Cagayan.

In its bulletin issued 11 am on Sunday, state weather bureau PAGASA said Severe Tropical Storm Carina will hit Cagayan this afternoon, and then exit landmass via Ilocos Norte late in the evening.

As of 10 am, the severe tropical storm was 160 km east southeast of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, still moving northwest at 20 km/h.

Carina now has maximum winds of up to 95 kilometers per hour (km/h) and gustiness of up to 120 km/h.

Moderate to heavy rains are expected within the 500-km diameter of the severe tropical storm.

Signal number 2 is up over the following provinces:

• Isabela
• Ilocos Norte
• Ilocos Sur
• Apayao
• Mt. Province
• Ifugao
• Kalinga
• Abra
• Cagayan including Babuyan Group of Islands

Signal number 1, meanwhile, is raised over these provinces:

• Batanes
• Benguet
• La Union
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Quirino
• Pangasinan
• Nueva Ecija
• Aurora

Areas under storm warning signals should be on alert for possible floods and landslides.

PAGASA warned that there could also be rains in Mimaropa, the rest of Central Luzon and Northern Luzon, as well as the provinces of Quezon and Camarines Norte.

Meanwhile, coastal waters in the northern and eastern seaboards of Luzon are rough to very rough.

Carina is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Monday, August 1.

– Rappler.com