Pepito weakens into typhoon, crosses Nueva Vizcaya

Typhoon Pepito (Man-yi) is weakening ‘due to land interaction’ on Sunday evening, November 17, but will likely emerge over the West Philippine Sea still as a typhoon

MANILA, Philippines – Signal No. 5 was lifted as Pepito (Man-yi) weakened from a super typhoon into a typhoon while crossing mainland Luzon early Sunday evening, November 17.

Pepito’s maximum sustained winds are down to 165 kilometers per hour from 185 km/h, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in a bulletin released past 8 pm on Sunday. Its gustiness is now up to 275 km/h from 305 km/h.

The typhoon was last spotted in the vicinity of Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya, at 7 pm. It is moving west northwest at the same speed of 25 km/h.

While there are no more areas under Signal No. 5, many areas in Luzon remain under Signal Nos. 1 to 4 as of 8 pm on Sunday.

Signal No. 4

Typhoon-force winds (118 to 184 km/h), significant to severe threat to life and property

• central part of Aurora (Dinalungan, Dipaculao, Baler, Maria Aurora)
• Quirino
• Nueva Vizcaya
• southern part of Ifugao (Kiangan, Lamut, Tinoc, Asipulo, Lagawe)
• Benguet
• southern part of Ilocos Sur (Alilem, Sugpon, Suyo, Santa Cruz, Tagudin, Candon City, Santa Lucia, Salcedo, Galimuyod, Cervantes, Sigay)
• La Union
• northern and eastern parts of Pangasinan (Sison, Tayug, Binalonan, San Manuel, Asingan, San Quintin, Santa Maria, Natividad, San Nicolas, Balungao, Pozorrubio, Laoac, San Jacinto, San Fabian, Manaoag, Urdaneta City, Rosales, Umingan, Mangaldan, Mapandan, Villasis, Santo Tomas, Dagupan City, Anda, Bolinao, Bani, Alaminos City, Lingayen, Binmaley, Sual, Labrador)
• northern part of Nueva Ecija (Bongabon, Pantabangan, Rizal, Lupao, San Jose City, Carranglan, Science City of Muñoz, Talugtug, Cuyapo, Llanera)

Signal No. 3

Storm-force winds (89 to 117 km/h), moderate to significant threat to life and property

• southern part of Isabela (San Agustin, Jones, Echague, San Guillermo, Angadanan, Alicia, San Mateo, Ramon, San Isidro, Santiago City, Cordon, Dinapigue, Roxas, Aurora, Cabatuan, Cauayan City, Luna, San Mariano, Benito Soliven, Naguilian, Reina Mercedes, San Manuel, Burgos)
• rest of Ifugao
• Mountain Province
• southern part of Kalinga (Pasil, Tanudan, Lubuagan, Tinglayan)
• southern part of Abra (Tubo, Luba, Pilar, Villaviciosa, San Isidro, Pidigan, Langiden, San Quintin, Bangued, Manabo, Boliney, Peñarrubia, Bucloc, Sallapadan, Bucay)
• rest of Ilocos Sur
• rest of Pangasinan
• northern and eastern parts of Tarlac (Paniqui, La Paz, Moncada, Tarlac City, Gerona, Pura, San Clemente, Santa Ignacia, Victoria, Camiling, Concepcion, Ramos, San Manuel, Anao)
• rest of Nueva Ecija
• rest of Aurora

Signal No. 2

Gale-force winds (62 to 88 km/h), minor to moderate threat to life and property

• rest of Isabela
• southwestern part of mainland Cagayan (Enrile, Tuao, Solana, Tuguegarao City, Piat, Rizal)
• rest of Kalinga
• southern part of Apayao (Conner, Kabugao)
• rest of Abra
• Ilocos Norte
• Zambales
• rest of Tarlac
• northern part of Bataan (Orani, Abucay, Hermosa, Samal, Dinalupihan)
• Pampanga
• Bulacan
• Metro Manila
• Rizal
• northeastern part of Laguna (Kalayaan, Paete, Pangil, Pakil, Siniloan, Famy, Santa Maria, Mabitac)
• northern part of Quezon (General Nakar, Infanta, Real) including Polillo Islands

Signal No. 1

Strong winds (39 to 61 km/h), minimal to minor threat to life and property

• rest of mainland Cagayan
• rest of Apayao
• rest of Bataan
• Cavite
• rest of Laguna
• Batangas
• central part of Quezon (Calauag, Pitogo, Lucena City, Pagbilao, Tiaong, Lopez, Guinayangan, Unisan, Plaridel, Quezon, San Antonio, Alabat, Candelaria, Lucban, Sampaloc, Padre Burgos, Sariaya, Tayabas City, Macalelon, Mauban, Dolores, Perez, Agdangan, Gumaca, Atimonan, Tagkawayan)
• Lubang Islands
• western part of Camarines Norte (Santa Elena, Paracale, Labo, Vinzons, Jose Panganiban, Capalonga)

Rain has started easing in some areas, including Metro Manila, but the following provinces may still have significant rain from Pepito in the coming hours:

• Intense to torrential rain (more than 200 millimeters): Aurora, Quirino
• Heavy to intense rain (100-200 mm): Nueva Ecija, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela
• Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Bulacan, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Apayao, Abra, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Quezon, Rizal, Tarlac, Zambales

In addition, there is a high risk of “life-threatening” storm surges “with peak surge heights exceeding 3 meters” in the Ilocos Region, southeastern mainland Cagayan, Isabela, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, Cavite, and Quezon (eastern coast) including Polillo Islands within 48 hours. View the map below, and check the list of specific cities and municipalities here.

Pepito made landfall twice as a super typhoon — first in Panganiban, Catanduanes, at 9:40 pm on Saturday, November 16, then in Dipaculao, Aurora, at 3:20 pm on Sunday. It had maximum sustained winds of 195 km/h during its first landfall — its peak intensity — and 185 km/h during its second landfall.

From Aurora, Pepito crossed Quirino, and then Nueva Vizcaya. It may eventually leave Luzon landmass via Pangasinan, La Union, or Ilocos Sur on Sunday evening or early Monday morning, November 18.

“During this period, Pepito will significantly weaken due to land interaction but will likely emerge over the West Philippine Sea as a typhoon,” PAGASA said.

Pepito could further weaken over the West Philippine Sea due to “an incoming northeasterly wind surge,” added the weather bureau.

The typhoon may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Monday morning or noon.

ALSO ON RAPPLER

---

For sea conditions in the next 24 hours, PAGASA maintained the following outlook:

Up to very rough or high seas (travel is risky for all vessels)

• Seaboard of Aurora – waves up to 9 meters high
• Seaboard of Isabela – waves up to 8 meters high
• Eastern seaboard of mainland Cagayan – waves up to 6 meters high
• Seaboards of La Union and Ilocos Sur – waves up to 5.5 meters high
• Seaboard of northern mainland Quezon; northern and eastern seaboards of Polillo Islands – waves up to 5 meters high
• Seaboards of Ilocos Norte and Pangasinan – waves up to 4.5 meters high

Up to rough seas (small vessels should not venture out to sea)

• Seaboard of Babuyan Islands – waves up to 4 meters high
• Northern seaboard of Camarines Norte – waves up to 3.5 meters high
• Western seaboard of Zambales; northern and eastern seaboards of Catanduanes; northern seaboard of Camarines Sur – waves up to 3 meters high

Up to moderate seas (small vessels should take precautionary measures or avoid sailing, if possible)

• Eastern seaboard of Quezon including the rest of Polillo Islands; remaining seaboards of Catanduanes; eastern seaboards of Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon; northern and eastern seaboards of Northern Samar – waves up to 2.5 meters high
• Western seaboard of Bataan and Lubang Islands; eastern seaboards of Eastern Samar and Dinagat Islands – waves up to 2 meters high

The weather bureau also reiterated that wave heights in affected seaboards are “not related to storm surge heights or inundation.”

Pepito is the Philippines’ 16th tropical cyclone for 2024. It is also the fourth tropical cyclone for November alone, after Marce (Yinxing), Nika (Toraji), and Ofel (Usagi).

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. – Rappler.com