THE low pressure area (LPA) east of Batanes has intensified into a tropical depression and has been named Julian, the weather bureau announced Friday.
Julian currently has maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near its center, with gusts reaching up to 70 kph. It was last located 525 km east of Itbayat, Batanes.
Tropical cyclone wind signal no. 1 is expected to be hoisted over portions of Cagayan Valley later today.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) forecasts that Julian will follow a looping path over the waters east of Batanes and Cagayan for the next five days.
PAGASA also anticipates that Julian will continue to intensify throughout the forecast period and may reach tropical storm category by Friday.
