Philippine tropical cyclones

Tropical Storm Pepito now over West Philippine Sea

Acor Arceo

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Tropical Storm Pepito now over West Philippine Sea

Image from NOAA

La Union, the northern part of Zambales, and the western part of Pangasinan remain under Signal No. 2 as of 8 am on Wednesday, October 21

Tropical Storm Pepito (Saudel) emerged over the West Philippine Sea on Wednesday morning, October 21, after crossing Northern Luzon.

Pepito earlier made landfall in San Ildefonso Peninsula in Casiguran, Aurora, at 9 pm on Tuesday, October 20. Even before its landfall, it already started bringing heavy rain and strong winds to much of Luzon, causing floods in some provinces such as Quezon.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its 8 am bulletin on Wednesday that the tropical storm is now 115 kilometers northwest of Dagupan City, Pangasinan, or 120 kilometers west northwest of Baguio City.

It continues to head west northwest at 30 kilometers per hour (km/h), as it starts to move away from land.

At the moment, Pepito has maximum winds of 75 km/h and gustiness of up to 90 km/h. But it is likely to intensify into a severe tropical storm by Thursday afternoon or evening, October 22. (READ: FAST FACTS: Tropical cyclones, rainfall advisories)

Below are the areas remaining under tropical cyclone wind signals as of 8 am on Wednesday.

Signal No. 2 (winds of 60 to 120 km/h)
  • La Union
  • northern part of Zambales (Iba, Palauig, Masinloc, Candelaria, Santa Cruz)
  • western part of Pangasinan (Bani, Anda, Bolinao, Agno, Dasol, Burgos, Alaminos City, Mabini, Sual, Infanta, Bugallon, Labrador, Aguilar, Mangatarem, Urbiztondo, Basista, Malasiqui, San Fabian, Pozzorubio, Sison, Laoac, Urdaneta City, Manaoag, San Jacinto, Dagupan City, Mangaldan, Mapandan, Santa Barbara, San Carlos City, Calasiao, Binmaley, Lingayen)
Signal No. 1 (winds of 30 to 60 km/h)
  • Ilocos Norte
  • Ilocos Sur
  • rest of Pangasinan
  • Abra
  • western part of Kalinga (Balbalan, Pasil, Lubuagan, Tinglayan)
  • western part of Mountain Province (Barlig, Sadanga, Bontoc, Sagada, Sabangan, Bauko, Tadian, Besao)
  • western part of Ifugao (Banaue, Hingyon, Kiangan, Tinoc, Hungduan, Asipulo)
  • Benguet
  • western part of Nueva Vizcaya (Ambaguio, Kayapa, Aritao, Santa Fe)
  • western part of Nueva Ecija (Carranglan, Lupao, Muñoz City, Santo Domingo, Zaragoza, Aliaga, Licab, Guimba, Talugtug, Quezon, Nampicuan, Cuyapo)
  • Tarlac
  • rest of Zambales

“Gale-force winds and high (strong to near gale) winds” will be experienced in areas under Signal Nos. 1 and 2, warned PAGASA.

“High to gale-force winds” will also prevail in the rest of Northern Luzon, especially in coastal and mountainous areas, but due to the northeasterly surface windflow.

Meanwhile, PAGASA maintained its rainfall forecast for Wednesday, advising that hazards such as floods and landslides could still occur though Pepito is already over the West Philippine Sea.

Moderate to heavy rain
  • Batanes
  • Cagayan
  • Ilocos Norte
  • Pangasinan
  • La Union
  • Apayao
  • Benguet
  • Zambales
  • Bataan
  • Occidental Mindoro
  • Calamian Islands
Light to moderate rain, with at times heavy rain
  • rest of Luzon

PAGASA also reiterated that rough to very rough seas, with waves 2.5 to 5.5 meters high, will be experienced in areas where tropical cyclone wind signals and a gale warning are in effect. Travel is risky, especially for small vessels, in these seaboards:

  • entire seaboards of Northern Luzon and Central Luzon
  • seaboard of northern Quezon including Polillo Island
  • western seaboards of Batangas, Occidental Mindoro (including Lubang Islands), and Palawan (including Calamian and Kalayaan Islands)

Moderate to rough seas, with waves 1.5 to 3 meters high, are expected in the eastern seaboards of the following:

  • southern part of Quezon
  • Bicol
  • Eastern Visayas
  • Caraga
  • Davao Region

PAGASA advised small vessels to take precautionary measures. It added that “inexperienced mariners should avoid navigating in these conditions.”

Pepito could exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Thursday morning or afternoon.

Beginning Friday, October 23, it may accelerate and turn west toward the central part of Vietnam, said PAGASA.

Forecast track of Tropical Storm Pepito (Saudel) as of October 21, 2020, 8 am.
Image from PAGASA

Meanwhile, a tropical depression remains outside PAR, at 1,900 kilometers east northeast of extreme Northern Luzon as of early Wednesday morning.

It still has maximum winds of 55 km/h and gustiness of up to 70 km/h.

PAGASA said the tropical depression remains almost stationary or hardly moving, and is still unlikely to enter PAR.

Pepito is the Philippines’ 16th tropical cyclone for 2020, and the 3rd for October.

An average of 20 tropical cyclones form within or enter PAR each year. (READ: LIST: PAGASA’s names for tropical cyclones in 2020)

PAGASA gave the following estimates for the number of tropical cyclones inside PAR in the next 6 months:

  • October 2020 – 2 or 3
  • November 2020 – 1 or 2
  • December 2020 – 1 or 2
  • January 2021 – 1 or 2
  • February 2021 – 0 or 1
  • March 2021 – 0 or 1

Last October 2, the state weather bureau warned Filipinos to expect more rain in the coming months due to the onset of La Niña– 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.