TROPICAL Storm Basyang, internationally named Penha, has weakened into a low-pressure area (LPA) as it moved west-northwestward over the Sulu Sea, state weather forecasters said Saturday.
In its 5 a.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Basyang weakened into an LPA at around 2 a.m. due to unfavorable environmental conditions. It was last located about 105 kilometers southeast of Cuyo, Palawan.
The weather bureau said “Basyang” is expected to continue moving generally west-northwestward across the Sulu Sea and pass over northern Palawan, but may dissipate as it encounters increasingly unfavorable conditions.
Despite weakening, Pagasa warned that the LPA, together with a prevailing shear line, will continue to bring heavy rainfall over several areas. Rainfall of 50 to 100 millimeters is forecast over Palawan, Oriental Mindoro, Negros Occidental, Antique, Iloilo, and Guimaras, while similar rainfall amounts are expected over Quezon and Camarines Norte due to the shear line.
The surge of the northeast monsoon will also bring strong to gale-force winds, particularly in coastal and upland areas exposed to winds. These conditions are expected over most of Luzon, Western Visayas, much of the Negros Island Region, and Zamboanga del Norte.
Hazardous sea conditions were also reported, with rough seas of up to four meters over the remaining seaboards of the Babuyan Islands and Ilocos Norte. Waves of up to three meters may affect the coasts of Ilocos Sur, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, northern Quezon, and the Polillo Islands, while moderate seas of up to 2.5 meters are expected in parts of the Ilocos Region, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and eastern Mindanao.
