Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 18) — Tropical Storm Fabian has maintained its strength but is unlikely to make a landfall in the country, the state weather bureau said in its latest bulletin on Sunday night.
Fabian was last seen at 1,085 kilometers east northeast of extreme Northern Luzon, packing sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 90 kph. The center of the tropical storm was moving north northwestward at 10 kph.
Raising storm alerts also remains “less likely,” according to PAGASA, but it alerted residents of Batanes and Babuyan Islands for a possible hoisting of the lowest tropical storm wind signal if Fabian shifts southward.
PAGASA added that Fabian and a low pressure area spotted 830 kms west of extreme Northern Luzon continue to enhance the southwest monsoon. It said people residing in Ilocos Region, Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, Zambales, and Bataan will experience monsoon rains in the next 24 hours.
Fabian developed into a tropical storm at 2 a.m. on Sunday. PAGASA expects the weather system to further intensify into a severe tropical storm by Monday afternoon and could become a typhoon by Tuesday afternoon.
Tropical storm Fabian is seen to exit Philippine territory by Tuesday afternoon or evening.
