THE state weather bureau PAGASA announced on Monday in its 4:00 p.m. advisory that Typhoon Obet, known internationally as Saudel, has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) and is currently being monitored over the waters east of extreme Northern Luzon.
The typhoon’s entry brings the country’s attention to developing weather conditions in the northern part of the archipelago, as authorities keep a close watch on its movement and potential impacts. The advisory serves as the latest update to keep the public and disaster preparedness agencies informed about the cyclone’s status as it traverses within the country’s designated boundary.
As of the 3:00 p.m. assessment, Typhoon Obet was positioned approximately 1,375 kilometers east-northeast of Extreme Northern Luzon, carrying maximum sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts reaching as high as 205 kilometers per hour.
These wind strengths place Obet well within typhoon category, though its current distance from land means it is not yet directly bringing hazardous weather to populated areas. PAGASA continues to track its direction and speed to determine if it will draw closer to landmass or remain offshore, and whether any public storm warning signals will be raised in the coming updates.
In addition to Typhoon Obet inside PAR, PAGASA is also monitoring two other tropical cyclones located outside the Philippine boundary. One is Tropical Storm Astani, estimated to be about 1,765 kilometers east of Central Luzon, with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 80 kilometers per hour. The third system is Tropical Depression Gaemari, formerly known locally as Neneng, which was spotted roughly 505 kilometers north-northwest of Itbayat, Batanes, packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 55 kilometers per hour. At present, none of the three systems are forecast to directly make landfall or bring immediate heavy rainfall to the mainland, but PAGASA advises the public to regularly check bulletins as conditions can change.
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