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Severe Tropical Storm Pepito (Man-yi) is not yet directly affecting any part of the country, but early warnings are provided for Luzon and Eastern Visayas on Thursday, November 14
MANILA, Philippines – Man-yi intensified from a tropical storm into a severe tropical storm and entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) at 8 pm on Thursday, November 14.
It was given the local name Pepito, as the country’s 16th tropical cyclone for 2024.
It is also the fourth tropical cyclone for November alone, after Marce (Yinxing), Nika (Toraji), and Ofel (Usagi), which remains inside PAR.
Counting from October 21 to present — starting with Kristine (Trami) and Leon (Kong-rey) — Pepito is already the country’s sixth tropical cyclone in less than a month.
Pepito was located 945 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas as of 10 pm on Thursday, still far from land. It is moving west at a relatively fast 35 kilometers per hour (km/h).
The severe tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of 100 km/h and gustiness of up to 125 km/h, according to the 11 pm bulletin of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
While Pepito is not yet directly affecting any part of the Philippines due to its distance from land, PAGASA already raised Signal No. 1 for portions of Bicol and Eastern Visayas to give these areas lead time of 36 hours to prepare for strong winds.
Here are the areas under Signal No. 1 due to Pepito as of 11 pm on Thursday:
- Catanduanes
- eastern part of Camarines Sur (Caramoan, Garchitorena, Presentacion, San Jose, Lagonoy)
- eastern part of Albay (Rapu-Rapu, Tabaco City, Malilipot, Santo Domingo, Bacacay, Legazpi City, Malinao, Manito, Tiwi)
- eastern and southern parts of Sorsogon (Juban, Sorsogon City, Barcelona, Bulusan, Magallanes, Gubat, Santa Magdalena, Casiguran, Bulan, Irosin, Matnog, Prieto Diaz)
- Northern Samar
- northern part of Eastern Samar (San Policarpo, Arteche, Jipapad, Maslog, Dolores, Oras)
- northeastern part of Samar (Matuguinao, San Jose de Buan)
The highest possible tropical cyclone wind signal due to Pepito is Signal No. 5.
PAGASA has also been issuing separate advisories to warn the public of expected rainfall from Pepito. Significant rain may begin on Friday, November 15, and affected areas must be on alert for floods and landslides.
Friday evening, November 15, to Saturday evening, November 16
- Heavy to intense rain (100-200 millimeters): Catanduanes, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Sorsogon
- Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Masbate, Leyte, Samar, Biliran
Saturday evening, November 16, to Sunday evening, November 17
- Intense to torrential rain (more than 200 mm): Quezon, Aurora, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes
- Heavy to intense rain (100-200 millimeters): Northern Samar, Albay, Sorsogon, Marinduque, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Aurora
- Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Metro Manila, Bataan, Cavite, Zambales, Tarlac, Batangas, Pampanga, Leyte, Masbate, Romblon, Eastern Samar, Samar, Biliran, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino
The weather bureau may release a storm surge warning for the coastal waters of Aurora, Quezon, Bicol, and Eastern Visayas in the coming hours, too.
ALSO ON RAPPLER
PAGASA said Pepito might keep moving west on Friday due to a high pressure area over the south of Japan. Afterwards, it may turn west northwest to northwest over the Philippine Sea while passing close to the regions of Eastern Visayas and Bicol.
Pepito’s forecast track as of 11 pm on Thursday shows it could make landfall in Central Luzon on Saturday, November 16, or Sunday, November 17.
But the weather bureau noted that Southern Luzon and Eastern Visayas are possible landfall areas as well, since the tropical cyclone’s track may shift “within the limit of the forecast confidence cone.”
Also on Friday, Pepito could strengthen into a typhoon. Then it may become a super typhoon by Saturday afternoon or evening, and “possibly make landfall at peak intensity.” But “due to land interaction, it may weaken into a typhoon by Sunday evening until it exits the PAR region,” PAGASA said.
– Rappler.com
