MANILA, Philippines – Severe Tropical Storm Marce (Yinxing) continued to strengthen before dawn on Tuesday, November 5, already nearing typhoon category due to rapid intensification.
Marce’s maximum sustained winds increased from 100 kilometers per hour to 110 km/h, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in a briefing past 5 am on Tuesday. Its gustiness is now up to 135 km/h from 125 km/h.
Marce is projected to intensify into a typhoon on Tuesday. Under PAGASA’s classification, a typhoon has maximum sustained winds of 118 to 184 km/h.
The severe tropical storm was last spotted 735 kilometers east of Baler, Aurora, at 4 am. It is moving northwest at a slower 25 km/h from the previous 35 km/h.
The province of Cagayan is now expected to have moderate to heavy rain from Marce on Tuesday, based on this latest rainfall outlook from PAGASA:
Tuesday, November 5
- Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 millimeters): Cagayan
Wednesday, November 6
- Heavy to intense rain (100-200 mm): Cagayan
- Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Batanes, Apayao
Thursday, November 7
- Intense to torrential rain (more than 200 mm): Cagayan
- Heavy to intense rain (100-200 mm): Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Batanes
- Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Isabela, Abra, Ilocos Sur, Kalinga, Mountain Province
Also on Tuesday, the weather bureau said other areas in Cagayan Valley, Apayao, Kalinga, Quezon, and Bicol would have scattered rain showers and thunderstorms due to Marce. Eastern Visayas and Aurora, meanwhile, are likely to have isolated rain showers or thunderstorms, still because of the severe tropical storm.
For winds, PAGASA placed more areas in Northern Luzon under Signal No. 1 at 5 am on Tuesday. These areas will have strong winds from Marce:
- Batanes
- Cagayan including Babuyan Islands
- northern and eastern parts of Isabela (Maconacon, San Pablo, Palanan, Dinapigue, Santa Maria, Cabagan, Tumauini, Santo Tomas, Ilagan City, Divilacan, San Mariano)
- northern part of Apayao (Santa Marcela, Luna, Calanasan, Flora, Pudtol)
- northern part of Ilocos Norte (Pagudpud, Dumalneg, Adams, Bangui, Burgos, Pasuquin, Vintar)
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:
Tuesday, November 5
- Ilocos Sur, Aurora, Quezon, Camarines Norte
Wednesday, November 6
- Ilocos Region, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes
Thursday, November 7
- Ilocos Region
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Marce is seen to move generally west northwest until Wednesday morning, November 6, before slowing down and turning west over the Philippine Sea east of extreme Northern Luzon. This slowdown over the sea, which may last a couple of days, means the tropical cyclone could dump more rain while lingering east of Northern Luzon.
PAGASA added that Marce may reach its peak intensity before hitting land. It could make landfall in Babuyan Islands or the northern part of mainland Cagayan on Thursday evening, November 7, or early Friday morning, November 8.
But the weather bureau maintained that the track of the tropical cyclone may still change “due to uncertainty in the strength of the high pressure area” located above it, which is influencing its movement.
Landfall could be in the mainland Cagayan-Isabela area if Marce’s track shifts further downward.
Conditions in affected seaboards will become moderate to very rough in the next 24 hours.
Up to very rough seas (travel is risky for all vessels)
- Seaboards of Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, and Isabela – waves up to 4.5 meters high
Up to rough seas (small vessels should not venture out to sea)
- Northern seaboard of Ilocos Norte – waves up to 4 meters high
- Seaboards of northern Aurora and Camarines Norte – waves up to 3.5 meters high
- Remaining seaboard of Ilocos Region; northern seaboards of northern Quezon and Camarines Sur; northern and eastern seaboards of Polillo Islands and Catanduanes – waves up to 3 meters high
Up to moderate seas (small vessels should take precautionary measures or avoid sailing, if possible)
- Remaining seaboard of Aurora; remaining eastern seaboards of Quezon and Bicol – waves up to 2.5 meters high
- Seaboards of Zambales, Bataan, Lubang Islands, Kalayaan Islands, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Sur, Davao Oriental, and Davao del Sur; western seaboard of northern Palawan including Calamian Islands – waves up to 2 meters high
Marce is the Philippines’ 13th tropical cyclone for 2024, and the first for November. It could leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Friday evening or early Saturday morning, November 9.
PAGASA previously estimated that one or two tropical cyclones could form within or enter PAR in November. – Rappler.com
