TROPICAL Cyclone Gorio (international name: Podul) has strengthened into a typhoon but is unlikely to directly affect the country, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Tuesday.
As of 4 a.m., Gorio was located 745 km east of Itbayat, Batanes, packing maximum sustained winds of 120 kph and gusts of up to 150 kph. It is expected to maintain its strength before making landfall in Taiwan on Wednesday afternoon and may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility later that night.
PAGASA warned of very rough seas over the seaboards of Batanes, making sea travel risky for all vessels. Mariners, especially operators of small motorized boats, are advised to stay ashore.
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon or habagat will bring scattered rain showers and thunderstorms over Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, and Zamboanga Peninsula. The rest of the country may experience isolated rain showers due to localized thunderstorms.
