TROPICAL STORM Egay (International name: Doksuri) has strengthened into a severe storm while moving west over the Philippine Sea, the state weather bureau said on Sunday.

In an 11 a.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Egay’s center was last located at 610 kilometers east of Daet, Camarines Norte.

It had maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 115 kph. It was moving westward at a speed of 15 kph.

“Egay is forecast to reach typhoon category within 24 hours and may become a super typhoon on Tuesday,” PAGASA said. “Rapid intensification is likely within the next 72 hours.”

Egay, the country’s fifth tropical cyclone this year and the second for July, developed into a tropical depression on Friday morning and intensified into a tropical storm on Saturday.

“Egay continues to pull or strengthen the southwest monsoon,” PAGASA weather specialist Aldczar D. Aurelio told a live broadcast. “This southwest monsoon continues to affect Southern Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.”

The sever storm is estimated to move slowly in the next 24 hours and accelerate west northward or westward until Monday morning.

“The track forecast shows that Egay will remain offshore for most of the forecast period, a close approach or landfall in the vicinity of extreme Northern Luzon is still not ruled out based on the forecast confidence cone,” PAGASA said.

It added that the tropical storm might be closest to the extreme Northern Luzon on Wednesday and make landfall over the east coast of Taiwan on Thursday morning.

There was no wind signal hoisted yet, the weather said.

But it has issued a gale warning over several coastal waters along the eastern seaboards of Southern Luzon, the Visayas and Northeastern Mindanao.

Areas covered were the northern coast of Camarines Sur, the northern and eastern coasts of Catanduanes, the eastern coast of Albay, the eastern coast of Sorsogon, the northern and eastern coasts of Surigao del Norte including Siargao Island Bucas Grande Islands and Dinagat Islands.

More than 7,000 areas have been affected by the combined effects of the tropical storm and southwest monsoon, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC).

In an 8 a.m. report, it said Egay had affected 7,662 people from 2,353 families. About 1,154 residents in six villages in Western Visayas were displaced and transferred to five evacuation centers in the region.

No damage was reported on agriculture, houses and infrastructure.

On Saturday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. announced the suspension of classes and work at government offices on Monday due to inclement weather and the scheduled transport strike. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

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