Mario maintains strength, 6 areas under Signal No. 2

What’s the weather like in your area? Tweet us the situation: Use #weatheralert and tag @rapplerdotcom

MANILA, Philippines (2nd UPDATE) – Tropical Storm Mario (Fung-Wong) maintained its strength on Thursday night, September 18, as it moves toward northern Luzon, state weather bureau PAGASA said.

As of 10 pm Thursday, the center of Mario was located at 436 km east of Baler, Aurora. The tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of 65 km per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 km per hour.

It is seen to move west northwest at 26 km per hour, PAGASA said, with moderate to intense rains (7 to 20 mm per hour) within its 350-km diameter.

PAGASA has raised public storm warning signal number 2 over the following areas:

Cagayan, including Calayan and Babuyan Group of Islands
Isabela
Kalinga
Apayao
Abra
Ilocos Norte

These areas will experience stormy weather with rough to very rough seas.

Meanwhile, public storm warning signal number 1 is raised over:

Catanduanes
Aurora
Quirino
Nueva Vizcaya
Ifugao
Benguet
Mountain Province
Ilocos Sur
La Union
Batanes Group of Islands

These areas will have rains with gusty winds, and moderate to rough seas.

The combined effect of Mario and the Southwest Monsoon will bring moderate to heavy rains and thunderstorms in the regions of Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and Central Visayas which may trigger flashfloods and landslides.

Mario is expected to be in the vicinity of Aparri, Cagayan, by Friday evening, September 19; at 90 km northwest of the Calayan Group of Islands by Saturday night, September 20; and, at 493 km north northeast of Basco, Batanes by Sunday evening, September 21.

The next bulletin for Mario will be issued at 5 am Friday.

Tropical Storm Mario as of Sept 18, 11 pm. Image from PAGASA website

Meanwhile, in its 5 pm weather bulletin on Thursday, PAGASA said the rest of Luzon and of Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao and Caraga will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and thunderstorms.

The rest of Mindanao will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

Coastal seas will be moderate to rough as moderate to strong winds blow from the northwest to southwest over Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, and from the northeast to northwest over the rest of Luzon.

City	Forecast		Temperature Range
Metro Manila		Cloudy skies with rainshowers and/or thunderstorms	23°C-30°C
Tuguegarao		Stormy	20°C-28°C
Laoag		Rains with gusty winds	22°C-29°C
Baguio		Rains with gusty winds	15°C-21°C
Subic/Olongapo; Clark/Angeles		Cloudy skies with rainshowers and/or thunderstorms	23°C-30°C
Tagaytay		Cloudy skies with rainshowers and/or thunderstorms	20°C-28°C
Lipa		Cloudy skies with rainshowers and/or thunderstorms	21°C-30°C
Legazpi		Cloudy skies with rainshowers and/or thunderstorms	23°C-28°C
Puerto Princesa		Cloudy skies with rainshowers and/or thunderstorms	23°C-29°C
Iloilo/Bacolod		Cloudy skies with rainshowers and/or thunderstorms	23°C-31°C
Metro Cebu		Cloudy skies with rainshowers and/or thunderstorms	23°C-28°C
Tacloban		Cloudy skies with rainshowers and/or thunderstorms	23°C-29°C
Cagayan de Oro		Cloudy skies with rainshowers and/or thunderstorms	20°C-31°C
Metro Davao		Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms	23°C-33°C
Zamboanga		Cloudy skies with rainshowers and/or thunderstorms	23°C-31°C