Isang exits PAR, weakens into tropical storm; southwest monsoon causing rain

Isang (Omais) left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) as a severe tropical storm at 1:10 pm on Sunday, August 22, then weakened into a tropical storm at 2 pm.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in a bulletin issued at 5 pm on Sunday that Isang was already 605 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes.

The tropical storm was moving north northwest at 15 kilometers per hour (km/h). It is expected to maintain that direction until early Monday morning, August 23, then turn north on Monday afternoon toward South Korea’s Jeju Island and the Korean Peninsula.

As of Sunday afternoon, Isang’s maximum sustained winds were down to 85 km/h, with gustiness of up to 105 km/h.

PAGASA said Isang will continue to weaken as it moves over the East China Sea and may be downgraded to a tropical depression on Monday afternoon.

Isang, which entered PAR last Thursday, August 19, did not make landfall in the Philippines and had no effect on the country.

It was the Philippines’ ninth tropical cyclone for 2021 and the third for August. (READ: FAST FACTS: Tropical cyclones, rainfall advisories)

PROJECTED PATH. Forecast track of Tropical Storm Isang (Omais) as of August 22, 2021, 5 pm.

Meanwhile, PAGASA said the southwest monsoon or hanging habagat is affecting the western parts of Southern Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

Scattered rain showers and thunderstorms due to the southwest monsoon are expected in these areas for the rest of Sunday:

Palawan
Occidental Mindoro
Western Visayas
Zamboanga Peninsula

Other parts of the country will have generally fair weather, with just isolated rain or thunderstorms.

So far, PAGASA is not monitoring any other tropical cyclone after Isang.

An average of 20 tropical cyclones form within or enter PAR each year. (READ: LIST: PAGASA’s names for tropical cyclones in 2021)

These are PAGASA’s latest available estimates per month:

2021

August – 2 or 3
September – 2 or 3
October – 2 or 3
November – 2 or 3
December – 1 or 2

2022

January – 0 or 1

The rainy season has been underway since early June. – Rappler.com

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Acor Arceo

Acor Arceo is the head of copy and editorial standards at Rappler. Trained in both online and TV newsrooms, Acor ensures consistency in editorial standards across all sections and also supervises Rappler’s coverage of disasters.