MANILA, Philippines – Tropical Storm Marce (Yinxing) further intensified over the Philippine Sea while already east of the Bicol region on Monday afternoon, November 4.
Marce’s maximum sustained winds increased from 75 kilometers per hour to 85 km/h, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in a briefing past 5 pm on Monday. Its gustiness is now up to 105 km/h from the previous 90 km/h.
Rapid intensification remains likely. Marce is now on track to become a severe tropical storm as early as Monday evening or Tuesday morning, November 5, at the latest. Afterwards, it may strengthen into a typhoon by Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning, November 6.
Marce was last spotted 740 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes, at 4 pm on Monday. It slightly slowed down, moving west northwest at 30 km/h from 35 km/h, but this pace is still relatively fast.
On Monday evening, the trough or extension of the tropical storm is expected to bring scattered rain showers and thunderstorms to mainland Cagayan, Isabela, and Bicol, as well as isolated rain showers or thunderstorms to Eastern Visayas, other areas in Cagayan Valley, Aurora, and Quezon. Flash floods and landslides are possible.
Marce may also enhance the northeasterly windflow, and this, along with the trough of the tropical storm, could trigger rain in extreme Northern Luzon and the eastern part of Luzon starting Monday or Tuesday.
As Marce moves closer to Northern Luzon, heavy rainfall advisories are expected to be issued in the coming days.
For winds, PAGASA now sees Signal No. 1 being raised for parts of Cagayan on Monday evening or Tuesday morning. The highest possible wind signal due to Marce is Signal No. 4.
The northeasterly windflow is bringing strong to gale-force gusts to the following areas as well:
Monday, November 4
- Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, Aurora, northern part of Quezon
Tuesday, November 5
- Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Aurora, Quezon, Camarines Norte
Wednesday, November 6
- Ilocos Region, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes
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PAGASA earlier explained that Marce’s track is being influenced by a high pressure area above it.
The tropical cyclone is still projected to move generally west northwest until Tuesday, “before turning westward at a slow pace over the Philippine Sea east of extreme Northern Luzon.”
It could make landfall in Babuyan Islands or mainland northern Cagayan on Thursday evening, November 7, or early Friday morning, November 8.
But the weather bureau said Marce’s track may still change “due to uncertainty in the strength of the high pressure area” north of the tropical storm. If this happens, its landfall could be in the mainland Cagayan-Isabela area.
For coastal waters, moderate to rough seas will persist in the next 24 hours:
Up to rough seas (small vessels should not venture out to sea)
- Seaboards of Batanes – waves up to 3.5 meters high
- Seaboards of Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, and northern Aurora; eastern seaboard of mainland Cagayan – waves up to 3 meters high
Up to moderate seas (small vessels should take precautionary measures or avoid sailing, if possible)
- Remaining seaboards of mainland Cagayan and Aurora; northern and eastern seaboards of Polillo Islands – waves up to 2.5 meters high
- Remaining seaboards of Ilocos Region; seaboards of northern Quezon and Camarines Norte; northern and eastern seaboards of Catanduanes and Northern Samar; eastern seaboards of Albay, Sorsogon, and Eastern Samar – waves up to 2 meters high
Marce is the Philippines’ 13th tropical cyclone for 2024, and the first for November.
PAGASA previously estimated that one or two tropical cyclones could form within or enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility in November. – Rappler.com
