TROPICAL Storm Ada (international name: Nokaen) has further intensified while moving over the waters east of the Bicol Region, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in its early Saturday morning bulletin.
Pagasa raised Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 over Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, Northern Samar, and several areas in Camarines Sur, Eastern Samar, and Samar. Signal No. 1 remains in effect over parts of Quezon, Marinduque, Camarines Norte, Masbate, the rest of Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte, and northern Cebu, including Camotes and Bantayan Islands.
As of 4 a.m., Ada was located 120 kilometers east-northeast of Catarman, Northern Samar, or 175 kilometers east of Juban, Sorsogon, packing maximum sustained winds of 85 km/h and gusts of up to 105 km/h. It is moving west-northwestward at 20 km/h.
Pagasa warned that further intensification into a severe tropical storm remains possible, with Wind Signal No. 3 not ruled out. Ada is forecast to pass near Catanduanes between Saturday afternoon and early Sunday, with a possible landfall over the Bicol Region should it shift further west.
The weather bureau also warned of minimal to moderate storm surge reaching up to 2 meters in low-lying coastal areas of Bicol and Eastern Visayas within the next 48 hours, as well as strong to gale-force winds enhanced by the northeast monsoon.
Due to the storm, classes were suspended in Naga City, flights were canceled, and sea travel was disrupted in several areas. The Office of Civil Defense urged heightened vigilance in Albay, citing the combined risks posed by Ada and the ongoing unrest of Mayon Volcano.
