MANILA, Philippines – Typhoon Betty (Mawar) maintained its strength while moving over the Philippine Sea before dawn on Sunday, May 28.

Betty continues to have maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 215 km/h, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in a press briefing past 5 am on Sunday.

The typhoon was located 815 kilometers east of Northern Luzon, moving west northwest at a slightly slower 20 km/h from the previous 25 km/h.

On Sunday, Betty’s trough or extension may already bring scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms to Batanes and Cagayan.

The southwesterly windflow, meanwhile, may cause similar conditions in Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Betty itself – not just its trough – could trigger rain beginning Monday, May 29. Here is PAGASA’s latest rainfall forecast:

Early Monday morning, May 29, to early Tuesday morning, May 30

• 100-200 millimeters (mm): eastern part of Babuyan Islands, northeastern part of mainland Cagayan
• 50-100 mm: Batanes, northwestern part of mainland Cagayan, northern part of Ilocos Norte, northern part of Apayao

Early Tuesday morning, May 30, to early Wednesday morning, May 31

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

Early Wednesday morning, May 31, to early Thursday morning, June 1

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

The typhoon is still expected to enhance the southwest monsoon or habagat.

Monsoon rain is “possible” in the western parts of Mimaropa and Western Visayas on Monday, and “likely” in the same areas on Tuesday, May 30, and Wednesday, May 31.

Areas set to be affected by Betty and the enhanced southwest monsoon should prepare for possible floods and landslides.

Meanwhile, the same areas remain under Signal No. 1 as of 5 am on Sunday:

• Batanes
• Cagayan including Babuyan Islands
• Isabela
• Apayao
• Ilocos Norte
• northern and central parts of Abra (Tineg, Lacub, Lagayan, San Juan, Lagangilang, Licuan-Baay, Malibcong, Danglas, La Paz, Dolores, Tayum, Bucay, Sallapadan, Daguioman, Bucloc, Boliney)
• Kalinga
• eastern and central parts of Mountain Province (Sadanga, Barlig, Natonin, Paracelis, Bontoc)
• eastern and central parts of Ifugao (Mayoyao, Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista, Banaue, Hingyon, Lagawe, Lamut, Kiangan, Asipulo)
• northern and central parts of Aurora (Dilasag, Casiguran, Dinalungan, Dipaculao)
• Quirino
• northeastern part of Nueva Vizcaya (Kasibu, Quezon, Solano, Bagabag, Diadi, Villaverde, Bayombong, Ambaguio)

“Minimal to minor impacts caused by strong winds…are possible within any of the areas where [Signal No.1] is currently in effect. Such conditions may begin tonight or tomorrow (Sunday evening or Monday),” PAGASA said.

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 the enhanced southwest monsoon may bring occasional gusts starting Sunday evening or Monday morning to most of the Visayas, the eastern part of Central Luzon, the eastern and southern parts of Southern Luzon, and the northern part of Mindanao.

“The western portion of Luzon may also experience similar conditions beginning on Tuesday or Wednesday,” added the weather bureau.

For coastal waters, PAGASA issued a new gale warning at 5 am on Sunday:

• northern and eastern seaboards of Luzon (Batanes, Cagayan including Calayan Islands, Isabela, Aurora, northern Quezon [General Nakar] including northern and eastern coasts of Polillo Islands [northern coast of Panukulan, Burdeos, eastern coast of Patnanungan, Jomalig], Camarines Norte, northern coast of Camarines Sur, northern and eastern coasts of Catanduanes, eastern coast of Albay, eastern coast of Sorsogon) – rough to very rough seas, with waves 3.4 to 5.5 meters high
• eastern seaboards of Visayas and Mindanao (northern and eastern coasts of Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, eastern coast of Surigao del Norte including Siargao and Bucas Grande islands, Dinagat Islands) – rough to very rough seas, with waves 3.1 to 5 meters high

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

Betty may head west northwest or northwest while gradually decelerating until Monday, then become slow-moving or almost stationary east of Batanes on Tuesday.

By mid-Wednesday or Thursday, June 1, it could move north or north northeast toward the sea east of Taiwan. Taiwan remains within the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

Betty is expected to gradually weaken until Tuesday, and then weaken at a faster rate on Wednesday or Thursday. By late Thursday or early Friday, June 2, it could be downgraded to a severe tropical storm.

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

Betty, which entered PAR as a super typhoon at 2 am on Saturday, May 27, looks set to exit on Friday.

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