MANILA, Philippines – Typhoon Betty (Mawar) further weakened over the Philippine Sea on Sunday evening, May 28, but the weather bureau warned that winds from the tropical cyclone will be covering a larger area.

Betty’s maximum sustained winds are down to 155 kilometers per hour from the previous 165 km/h, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in a press briefing past 11 pm on Sunday. Its gustiness eased to 190 km/h from 205 km/h.

However, “strong to typhoon-force winds extend outwards up to 770 kilometers” from Betty’s center.

As of 10 pm on Sunday, the center of the typhoon was already 570 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, or 580 kilometers east of Aparri, Cagayan.

Betty slowed down further, moving northwest at only 10 km/h from 15 km/h.

Since the extent of Betty’s winds expanded, more areas have been placed under Signal No. 1, particularly some localities along the eastern part of Southern Luzon. Below is the complete list as of 11 pm on Sunday.

• Batanes
• Cagayan including Babuyan Islands
• Isabela
• Quirino
• northeastern part of Nueva Vizcaya (Kasibu, Quezon, Solano, Bagabag, Diadi, Villaverde, Bayombong, Ambaguio)
• Apayao
• Abra
• Kalinga
• Mountain Province
• Ifugao
• Ilocos Norte
• northern and central parts of Aurora (Dilasag, Casiguran, Dinalungan, Dipaculao, Baler)
• Polillo Islands
• northern part of Catanduanes (Caramoran, Viga, Gigmoto, Panganiban, Bagamanoc, Pandan)
• northeastern part of Camarines Sur (Caramoan, Garchitorena, Lagonoy, Tinambac, Siruma)
• northern part of Camarines Norte (Vinzons, Paracale, Jose Panganiban, Capalonga, Talisay, Daet, Mercedes, Basud)

Signal No. 2 is the “most likely” highest wind signal to be raised due to Betty, though in a worst-case scenario, Signal No. 3 is possible.

PAGASA also said Betty will already start to enhance the southwest monsoon or habagat. On Monday, May 29, occasional gusts are possible in the eastern part of Central Luzon, eastern and southern parts of Southern Luzon that are not under Signal No. 1, and most of the Visayas. By Tuesday, May 30, or Wednesday, May 31, the western part of Luzon may have occasional gusts, too.

Meanwhile, PAGASA updated its rainfall forecast for the typhoon.

Sunday evening, May 28, to Monday evening, May 29

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

Monday evening, May 29, to Tuesday evening, May 30

• 100-200 mm: eastern part of Babuyan Islands, northeastern part of mainland Cagayan
• 50-100 mm: Batanes, rest of Babuyan Islands, northwestern part of mainland Cagayan, northern part of Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, La Union

Tuesday evening, May 30, to Wednesday evening, May 31

• Greater than 200 mm: Batanes
• 100-200 mm: Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Sur, Abra, La Union, western part of Benguet
• 50-100 mm: northern part of mainland Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, rest of Cordillera Administrative Region

Wednesday evening, May 31, to Thursday evening, June 1

• 100-200 mm: Batanes, Abra, Ilocos Sur, La Union, western part of Benguet
• 50-100 mm: Babuyan Islands, Pangasinan, rest of Cordillera Administrative Region

The weather bureau also updated its forecast for rain from the enhanced southwest monsoon.

Monday, May 29

• monsoon rain possible in western parts of Mimaropa and Western Visayas

Tuesday, May 30

• monsoon rain likely in western parts of Mimaropa and Western Visayas, and possible in the remaining areas of these two regions

Wednesday, May 31

• monsoon rain likely in western parts of Mimaropa and Western Visayas, and possible in the western parts of Central Luzon and Calabarzon as well as the rest of Mimaropa and Western Visayas

Floods and landslides are likely, warned PAGASA.

For coastal waters, the gale warning issued at 5 pm on Sunday remains in effect:

• northern seaboard of Northern Luzon and eastern seaboard of Luzon – rough to very rough seas, with waves 3.7 to 6 meters high
• eastern seaboards of Visayas and Mindanao – rough to very rough seas, with waves 3.4 to 5.5 meters high

The weather bureau advised small vessels not to sail and larger vessels to watch out for big waves.

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Betty is projected to move northwest until Monday. Then it could become slow-moving or almost stationary by Tuesday or Wednesday while east of Batanes, before turning north northeast and gradually speeding up toward the waters east of Taiwan and the southern part of Japan’s Ryukyu Islands.

PAGASA also sees Betty steadily weakening in the next five days due to cooler ocean waters and the intrusion of dry air. It might be downgraded to a severe tropical storm on Thursday, June 1.

At its peak, it was a super typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 215 km/h.

Betty may leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Friday evening, June 2, or around a week since it entered PAR early Saturday, May 27.

It is the country’s second tropical cyclone for 2023 and the first super typhoon of the year. – Rappler.com