MANILA, Philippines – The weather bureau called on the public to prepare for heavy rainfall and strong winds as Severe Tropical Storm Karding (Noru) intensified further on Saturday afternoon, September 24.

Karding now has maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour from the previous 100 km/h, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in its 5 pm bulletin on Saturday. The severe tropical storm’s gustiness is now up to 135 km/h from the previous 125 km/h.

PAGASA expects Karding to strengthen into a typhoon within 12 hours, and to remain a typhoon as it crosses landmass. Under the weather bureau’s classification, a typhoon has maximum sustained winds ranging from 118 to 184 km/h.

As of Saturday afternoon, Karding was located 475 kilometers east of Casiguran, Aurora, or 520 kilometers east of Baler, Aurora. It is still moving west southwest over the Philippine Sea at 25 km/h.

PAGASA said Karding is now likely to make landfall in the east coast of Aurora or the northern part of Quezon on Sunday afternoon, September 25. It will then cross Central Luzon before emerging over the West Philippine Sea late Sunday evening or early Monday morning, September 26.

Karding will already start bringing rain on Saturday evening, even before its expected landfall. Floods and landslides are possible.

Saturday evening, September 24, until early Sunday morning, September 25

Light to moderate rain, with at times heavy rain

• Batanes
• Cagayan
• Isabela
• northern part of Aurora
• Catanduanes
• Camarines Norte
• Camarines Sur

Rest of Sunday, September 25, until early Monday morning, September 26

Heavy to intense rain, with at times torrential rain

• Aurora
• Nueva Ecija
• Tarlac
• Pangasinan
• northern part of Zambales

Moderate to heavy rain, with at times intense rain

• rest of Central Luzon

Moderate to heavy rain

• Cagayan
• Isabela
• Quirino
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Ilocos Norte
• Ilocos Sur
• La Union
• Cordillera Administrative Region
• Metro Manila
• Calabarzon

Karding will also enhance the southwest monsoon or hanging habagat, which may bring occasional rain to most of Southern Luzon and the Visayas, especially their western sections, beginning Saturday or Sunday.

Meanwhile, more areas were placed under tropical cyclone wind signals as of 5 pm on Saturday.

Signal No. 2

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

• southeastern part of Isabela (Dinapigue, Jones, San Agustin, Echague, San Guillermo, San Mariano)
• southeastern part of Quirino (Nagtipunan, Maddela)
• southeastern part of Nueva Vizcaya (Alfonso Castañeda)
• eastern part of Nueva Ecija (Bongabon, Laur, Palayan City, General Tinio, Gabaldon, Pantabangan, Rizal)
• Aurora
• eastern part of Bulacan (Doña Remedios Trinidad, Norzagaray)
• eastern part of Rizal (Rodriguez, Antipolo City, Tanay)
• eastern part of Laguna (Santa Maria, Famy, Siniloan, Pangil, Pakil, Paete, Kalayaan, Lumban, Cavinti)
• northern and central parts of Quezon (General Nakar, Polillo Islands, Infanta, Real, Mauban, Perez, Alabat, Quezon, Calauag, Tagkawayan, Guinayangan)
• northwestern part of Camarines Sur (Del Gallego, Ragay, Lupi, Sipocot)
• Camarines Norte

Signal No. 1

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

• southern part of Cagayan (Peñablanca, Iguig, Tuguegarao City, Enrile, Solana, Tuao, Piat, Amulung, Rizal)
• rest of Isabela
• rest of Quirino
• rest of Nueva Vizcaya
• southern part of Apayao (Conner)
• Abra
• Kalinga
• Mountain Province
• Ifugao
• Benguet
• southern part of Ilocos Norte (Nueva Era, Badoc, Pinili, Banna, Batac City, Currimao, Paoay, Marcos)
• Ilocos Sur
• La Union
• Pangasinan
• rest of Nueva Ecija
• rest of Bulacan
• Tarlac
• Pampanga
• Zambales
• Bataan
• Metro Manila
• rest of Laguna
• rest of Rizal
• rest of Quezon
• Cavite
• Batangas
• rest of Camarines Sur
• Albay
• Catanduanes
• Marinduque
• northwestern part of Occidental Mindoro (Lubang Islands, Paluan, Abra de Ilog)
• northwestern part of Oriental Mindoro (San Teodoro, Puerto Galera, Calapan City, Baco)

Since Karding is expected to become a typhoon, the highest possible wind signal is Signal No. 4.

“Malakas na bagyo ang ating aasahang tatama bukas dito sa Central Luzon, kaya po tayo ay nananawagan na sa ating mga kababayan na paghandaan ang pagdaan ng bagyong Karding,” PAGASA Weather Specialist Raymond Ordinario said in a briefing on Saturday afternoon.

(We’re expecting a strong tropical cyclone to hit Central Luzon, so we’re appealing to the public to prepare for Karding’s arrival.)

PAGASA also issued a gale warning for the eastern seaboards of Luzon at 5 pm on Saturday, particularly Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, and Polillo Islands. Seas are rough to very rough, with waves 2.8 to 4.5 meters high. Fishing boats should not sail while larger vessels must be on alert.

In the northern and western seaboards of Northern Luzon, seas are moderate to rough, with waves 1.5 to 3.5 meters high. Conditions may be risky for small vessels.

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