Falcon likely to skip Luzon and Taiwan

Fortunately, Tropical Storm Falcon (International name: Meari) appears land-shy and is expected to pass well to the East of Cagayan, Batanes Group of Islands and the Calayan and Babuyan group of islands.  As it moves North Northeat at 26 kilometers per hour, it is expected to also spare Taiwan and revised projections indicate that Falcon will make a landfall in North Korea on Monday morning then pass over Eastern Russia as a weak Extratropical cyclone on Tuesday.

With a diameter of 1205 kilometers, Falcon is considered a very large tropical storm and the rains it carries in its outer bands are still cause for concern in low-lying areas near the storm's path.

Its southwestern and western outer rainbands shall continue to affect the eastern coast of Luzon and 24-hour accumuluted rainfall may reach a high 300 mm in the Batanes group of islands. It shall be 5 up to 150 mm elsewhere in the affected areas.

The tropical storm continues to pull the Southwest Monsoon across the Philippines, bringing occasional rains particularly along the western sections.

At 6:00 today, Falcon was located 360 km (195 nm) East Southeast of Basco, Batanes at coordinates 20.0º North Latitude 125.4º East Longitude, moving towards the Yaeyama Island Chain.

Residents and visitors along Extreme Northern Luzon, Batanes-Calayan-Babuyan Islands, Yaeyama-Okinawa-Ryukyu Islands, and Taiwan are advised to closely monitor the progress of Falcon (Meari).

Falcon shall reach Typhoon status (Category 1) by tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon upon exiting the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

PAGASA's storm signal number 1 remains hoisted over Cagayan including Calayan and Babuyan Group of Islands and Batanes Group of Islands. Storm sigals have been lifted elsewhere. (Vox Bikol)