MANILA, Philippines – More areas were placed under Signal No. 1 due to Tropical Storm Goring (Saola), which slightly intensified before dawn on Friday, August 25.

After a slight weakening on Thursday evening, August 24, Goring’s maximum sustained winds increased back to 75 kilometers per hour from 65 km/h.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) also said the tropical storm’s gustiness returned to 90 km/h from 80 km/h.

Goring is expected to rapidly intensify, possibly strengthening into a severe tropical storm on Friday and into a typhoon on Saturday, August 26.

It may reach its peak intensity as a typhoon on Sunday evening, August 27, and maintain that strength. But PAGASA is not ruling out the possibility of Goring becoming a super typhoon.

As of 4 am on Friday, Goring was located 220 kilometers east southeast of Basco, Batanes, slowly moving southwest. It is expected to be a generally slow tropical cyclone.

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The following areas are under Signal No. 1 as of 5 am, which means they should prepare for strong winds from Goring:

• Batanes
• eastern part of Babuyan Islands (Babuyan Island, Camiguin Island)
• eastern part of mainland Cagayan (Santa Ana, Gonzaga, Lal-lo, Gattaran, Baggao, Peñablanca)
• northeastern part of Isabela (Maconacon, Divilacan, Palanan)

The weather bureau also updated its rainfall forecast:

Friday, August 25

• 50-100 millimeters (mm): Batanes, Babuyan Islands, northeastern part of mainland Cagayan

Saturday, August 26

• 50-100 mm: Babuyan Islands, eastern part of mainland Cagayan, eastern part of Isabela

Sunday, August 27

• 50-100 mm: northern part of Aurora, eastern part of Cagayan, eastern part of Isabela

Floods and landslides are possible.

Meanwhile, a gale warning was issued at 5 am for the coastal waters of Batanes, Babuyan Islands, and the northern coast of mainland Cagayan due to the tropical storm. Travel is risky for certain vessels and suspension of trips is expected.

PAGASA expects Goring to keep heading south southwest or south off Northern Luzon until Saturday afternoon, then turning southeast for the rest of Saturday until Sunday afternoon.

Then it could “loop northward before turning to the northwest” on Tuesday, August 29, toward the Luzon Strait. A high pressure area has been influencing Goring’s movement.

Goring will also enhance the southwest monsoon or habagat, which is expected to bring occasional rain to the western parts of Central Luzon and Southern Luzon starting Saturday, and to the western part of the Visayas beginning Sunday.

But the southwest monsoon – not yet enhanced by Goring – is already bringing scattered rain showers and thunderstorms to Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, Zambales, and Bataan on Friday. Other areas in Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao have isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

The enhanced southwest monsoon will also trigger gusty conditions in these areas during the weekend:

Saturday, August 26

• Aurora, Bataan, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, most of Mimaropa, Bicol, most of Visayas, Dinagat Islands

Sunday, August 27

• Aurora, Bataan, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Visayas, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte

Goring is the Philippines’ seventh tropical cyclone for 2023 and the first for August.

PAGASA previously said it expects two or three tropical cyclones to develop within or enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) in August.

The weather bureau is also monitoring a cloud cluster right outside PAR, located east of the Visayas early Friday. This could become a low pressure area, according to PAGASA Weather Specialist Benison Estareja.

Meanwhile, the tropical depression far outside PAR has since intensified into a tropical storm, with the international name Damrey. It has maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h and gustiness of up to 80 km/h.

Damrey was last spotted 3,065 kilometers east of Northern Luzon early Friday, moving east northeast or away from PAR at 35 km/h. – Rappler.com