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Tropical Storm Ofel (Usagi) is expected to cross the southern part of Taiwan following its reentry into the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Friday evening, November 15. Taiwan is within PAR.
MANILA, Philippines – Ofel (Usagi) weakened from a severe tropical storm into a tropical storm on Friday evening, November 15, and reentered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) at 10 pm.
Ofel was last spotted 220 kilometers west northwest of Itbayat, Batanes, as of 10 pm. The tropical storm slowed down further, moving north at only 10 kilometers per hour from 15 km/h.
Its maximum sustained winds eased from 100 km/h to 85 km/h, while its gustiness is now up to 105 km/h from 125 km/h.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its 11 pm bulletin that Ofel could cross the southern part of Taiwan and emerge over the sea east of Taiwan until Saturday evening, November 16.
Ofel may also further weaken “due to the increasingly unfavorable environment and interaction with the mountainous terrain of Taiwan,” PAGASA said. By Sunday evening or earlier, Ofel could be downgraded to a remnant low.
Despite its reentry into PAR, Ofel will no longer cause significant rain in any part of the country. During the height of the typhoon’s onslaught, rain in Northern Luzon had reached torrential levels.
Signal No. 1 in Itbayat, Batanes, has also been lifted as of 11 pm, so there are no more areas under a tropical cyclone wind signal. The highest wind signal raised due to Ofel was Signal No. 5.
At its peak, Ofel was a super typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h, reaching this category early Thursday morning, November 14. But hours later, it was downgraded to a typhoon, before it made landfall in Baggao, Cagayan, at 1:30 pm that day.
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Meanwhile, for sea conditions in the next 24 hours, moderate to rough seas will persist in certain seaboards.
Up to rough seas (small vessels should not venture out to sea)
- Seaboard of Batanes – waves up to 3 meters high
Up to moderate seas (small vessels should take precautionary measures or avoid sailing, if possible)
- Seaboard of Babuyan Islands – waves up to 2.5 meters high
- Seaboards of mainland Cagayan, northern seaboard of Ilocos Norte – waves up to 2 meters high
Ofel is the Philippines’ 15th tropical cyclone for 2024, and the third for November, after Marce (Yinxing) and Nika (Toraji), which both peaked as typhoons and pummeled Northern Luzon.
Aside from Ofel, PAGASA is monitoring Typhoon Pepito (Man-yi). – Rappler.com
