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MANILA, Philippines – Much of Luzon and the Visayas are now under tropical cyclone wind signals as Typhoon Tisoy (Kammuri) continues to move toward Bicol while maintaining its strength and speed.

In a briefing past 11 pm on Sunday, December 1, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Tisoy is already 500 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes.

It continues to move west at 20 kilometers per hour (km/h).

The typhoon still has maximum winds of 140 km/h and gustiness of up to 170 km/h. (READ: FAST FACTS: Tropical cyclones, rainfall advisories)

Tisoy is expected to make landfall either in Catanduanes or Albay, which are both provinces in Bicol, between Monday evening, December 2, and early Tuesday morning, December 3.

As Tisoy approaches, the list of areas under tropical cyclone wind signals also grows. Below is the latest list.

Signal No. 2 (winds of 61 km/h to 120 km/h)

• southern part of Quezon (Tagkawayan, Calauag, Guinayangan, Lopez, Buenvista, Catanauan, Mulanay, San Narciso, San Andres, San Francisco)

•  

  Masbate including Ticao Island and Burias Island
• Camarines Norte
• Camarines Sur
• Catanduanes
• Albay
• Sorsogon
• Northern Samar
• Eastern Samar
• Samar
• Biliran

Signal No. 1 (winds of 30 km/h to 60 km/h)

• southern part of Isabela (Palanan, Dinapigue, San Mariano, San Guillermo, Benito Soliven, Naguilian, Reina Mercedes, Luna, Aurora, Cabatuan, San Mateo, Cauayan City, Alicia, Angadanan, Ramon, San Isidro, Echague, Cordon, Santiago City, Jones, San Agustin)
• Mountain Province
• Ifugao
• Benguet
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Quirino
• Aurora
• Nueva Ecija
• Tarlac
• Pampanga
• Bulacan
• Zambales
• Bataan
• Metro Manila
• Rizal
• Laguna
• Cavite
• Batangas
• rest of Quezon including Polillo Island
• Oriental Mindoro
• Occidental Mindoro
• Marinduque
• Romblon
• Calamian Islands
• Aklan
• Capiz
• Antique
• Iloilo
• Guimaras
• northern part of Negros Occidental (Bacolod City, Bago City, Cadiz City, Calatrava, Enrique B Magalona, Escalante City, La Carlota City, Manapla, Murcia, Pulupandan, Sagay City, Salvador Benedicto, San Carlos City, San Enrique, Silay City, Talisay City, Toboso, Valladolid, Victorias City)
• northern part of Cebu (Daanbantayan, Bantayan, Madridejos, Santa Fe, Medellin, Bogo City, San Remigio, Tabogon, Tabuelan, Borbon, Sogod, Catmon, Asturias)
• Metro Cebu (Balamban, Toledo City, Pinamungahan, Aloguinsan, Naga City, Talisay City, Cordova, Minglanilla, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, Cebu City, Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela, Danao City)
• Leyte
• Southern Leyte
• Dinagat Islands
• Siargao Island

PAGASA also released a new rainfall outlook. It now includes the Cordillera Administrative Region and Cagayan Valley.

Between Sunday night, December 1, and Monday afternoon, December 2

• Intermittent to occasional heavy rain
• Bicol
• Eastern Visayas
• northern part of Cebu

Between Monday afternoon, December 2, and Tuesday noontime, December 3

• Frequent to continuous heavy to intense rain
• Bicol
• southern part of Quezon
• Marinduque
• Occasional heavy rain
• Northern Samar
• Romblon
• Batangas
• Occidental Mindoro
• Oriental Mindoro
• rest of Quezon
• Intermittent heavy rain
• Eastern Samar
• Samar
• Biliran
• Leyte
• eastern part of Cagayan
• eastern part of Isabela

Tuesday afternoon, December 3, until Wednesday morning, December 4

• Frequent to continuous heavy to intense rain
• Central Luzon
• Metro Manila
• Calabarzon
• Bicol
• Occidental Mindoro
• Oriental Mindoro
• Marinduque
• Romblon
• Intermittent to occasional heavy rain
• Cordillera Administrative Region
• Cagayan Valley
• Pangasinan
• Aklan
• Capiz
• northern part of Antique

PAGASA again urged residents to be on alert for possible flash floods and landslides, and to heed authorities’ warnings.

Ahead of Tisoy’s landfall, thousands of people have fled their homes. Albay, one of the potential landfall areas, ordered mandatory evacuation for those living in high-risk zones prone to lahar, landslides, floods, and storm surges.

PAGASA warned that there could be a “life-threatening” storm surge with a height of up to 3 meters in storm surge-prone areas of Camarines Sur, Quezon, and Samar.

Travel is also risky, especially for small vessels, in the seaboards of areas under Signal Nos. 1 and 2, the seaboards of Northern Luzon, the central and eastern seaboards of the Visayas, and the eastern seaboard of Mindanao.

Classes were suspended in many areas for Monday. (READ: #WalangPasok: Class suspensions, Monday, December 2, 2019)

Tisoy also looms as the Philippines hosts the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, with the venues of the regional meet in the typhoon’s path.

Based on its latest forecast track, Tisoy is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Thursday evening, December 5.

Tisoy is the Philippines’ 20th tropical cyclone for 2019. (READ: LIST: PAGASA’s names for tropical cyclones in 2019)

The country gets an average of 20 tropical cyclones annually. In the earlier part of the year, only 14 to 18 tropical cyclones had been projected since 2019 is an El Niño year.

For the month of December, PAGASA had been expecting 0 to 1 tropical cyclone.

PAGASA declared the start of the rainy season last June 14. – Rappler.com