(Eagle News) — Typhoon “Lawin” intensified into a supertyphoon, with gusts of up to 315 kilometers per hour, and maintained its “serious threat” as it moved closer to Cagayan, according to the latest bulletin of PAGASA, the country’s weather bureau.
As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, October 19, public storm warning signal number 5 is already up in Cagayan and Isabela which will experience winds of up to 220 kilometers per hour. The eye of typhoon Lawin was located 280 kilometers east of Casiguran, Aurora as of 2 p.m.
It is expected to make landfall over the Cagayan-Isabela area late Wednesday night (October 19) until early morning of Thursday (October 20). It will then cross Apayao and Ilocos Norte.
Typhoon “Lawin” has maximum sustained winds of up to 225 kilometers per hour near the center, and gustiness of up to 315 kph. It is forecast to move west northwest at 24 kph.
PAGASA has placed Storm warning signal number 4 Kalinga, Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Abra, Ilocos Sur, Ifugao, Mt. Province and the Calayan group of islands.
Storm warning signal number 3 is also up in La Union, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, quirino and Northern Aurora.
The Batanes group of islands, Pangasinan, the rest of Aurora, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Northern Zambales and Northern Quezon including Polillo islands were placed under storm signal number 2.
Public storm signal number 1 is also up in the rest of Zambales, Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Rizal, rest of Quezon, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay and Metro Manila.
Typhoon “Lawin” is now comparable in strength to supertyphoon Yolanda that had devastated Leyte and surrounding provinces, and which killed at least 6,000 people because of its horrific storm surge.
Local officials whose provinces are in the path of Typhoon “Lawin” have done preemptive evacuation procedures as the typhoon nears Northern Luzon.
