Extreme Tropical Storm Opong nears storm class

A minimum of 10 provinces could have vital rain as a result of Extreme Tropical Storm Opong (Bualoi) on Thursday, September 25. Many areas in Luzon and within the Visayas, together with Metro Manila, are additionally beneath wind alerts as of 5 am.

MANILA, Philippines – Extreme Tropical Storm Opong (Bualoi) strengthened additional within the early hours of Thursday, September 25, already nearing storm standing.

In a briefing previous 5 am on Thursday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Providers Administration (PAGASA) stated Opong’s most sustained winds are actually at 110 kilometers per hour from the earlier 100 km/h. Its gustiness is now as much as 135 km/h from 125 km/h.

Opong is about to accentuate right into a storm by Thursday morning. A storm has most sustained winds of 118 to 184 km/h.

At 4 am, it was noticed 440 kilometers east of Guiuan, Japanese Samar, nonetheless shifting west northwest however at a barely quicker 20 km/h from 15 km/h.

Opong is at present projected to make landfall in Bicol by Friday afternoon or night, September 26. It will cross Southern Luzon, then exit the Philippine Space of Duty (PAR) on Saturday afternoon or night, September 27.

“It should be emphasised that heavy rainfall, extreme winds, and storm surge should be skilled in localities exterior the landfall level and the forecast confidence cone,” PAGASA stated.

“Moreover, the monitor should shift extra to the north or to the south however throughout the restrict of the forecast confidence cone,” added the climate bureau, referring to the cone-shaped monitor within the picture under.

On Thursday, a minimum of 10 provinces on the japanese facet of the nation could have reasonable to intense rain as a result of Opong. Rain will worsen on Friday when the tropical cyclone hits land, then begin easing on Saturday.

Thursday, September 25

• Heavy to intense rain (100-200 millimeters): Northern Samar, Japanese Samar, Sorsogon, Masbate, Samar, Biliran
• Average to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Catanduanes, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Dinagat Islands

Friday, September 26

• Intense to torrential rain (above 200 mm): Sorsogon, Masbate, Northern Samar, Japanese Samar, Albay, Quezon, Marinduque
• Heavy to intense rain (100-200 mm): Laguna, Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Samar, Biliran
• Average to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Metro Manila, Zambales, Bataan, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Cavite, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, Romblon, Aklan, Capiz, Cebu, Southern Leyte, Leyte

Saturday, September 27

• Average to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Metro Manila, Zambales, Bataan, Cavite, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro

Affected areas should be careful for floods and landslides.

In the meantime, many areas in Luzon and within the Visayas had been already positioned beneath tropical cyclone wind alerts as of 5 am on Thursday, together with Metro Manila.

Sign No. 2

Gale-force winds (62 to 88 km/h), minor to reasonable risk to life and property

• Catanduanes
• southern a part of Albay (Santo Domingo, Legazpi Metropolis, Camalig, Rapu-Rapu, Bacacay, Daraga, Jovellar, Manito)
• Sorsogon
• Northern Samar
• northern and central components of Japanese Samar (Can-avid, Maslog, San Policarpo, Taft, Dolores, Jipapad, Oras, Arteche, Sulat, San Julian)
• northern and central components of Samar (San Jorge, San Sebastian, Villareal, Zumarraga, Matuguinao, Pinabacdao, Almagro, Calbayog Metropolis, Talalora, Jiabong, Pagsanghan, Catbalogan Metropolis, Gandara, Motiong, Santo Niño, Tagapul-an, San Jose de Buan, Santa Margarita, Tarangnan, Calbiga, Daram, Paranas, Hinabangan)

Sign No. 1

Robust winds (39 to 61 km/h), minimal to minor risk to life and property

• remainder of Albay
• Masbate together with Ticao Island and Burias Island
• Camarines Sur
• Camarines Norte
• Marinduque
• Romblon
• Oriental Mindoro
• Occidental Mindoro together with Lubang Islands
• Quezon together with Polillo Islands
• Rizal
• Laguna
• Batangas
• Cavite
• Aurora
• Metro Manila
• Bulacan
• Nueva Ecija
• Tarlac
• Pampanga
• Zambales
• Bataan
• central and southern components of Isabela (Alicia, San Mateo, Aurora, Ramon, Naguilian, Dinapigue, San Guillermo, Luna, Cauayan Metropolis, Echague, Angadanan, Benito Soliven, Santiago Metropolis, Reina Mercedes, San Agustin, San Manuel, Cabatuan, Gamu, San Isidro, Cordon, Jones, Burgos, San Mariano, Palanan)
• Quirino
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Ifugao
• southwestern a part of Mountain Province (Bauko, Sabangan, Tadian)
• Benguet
• southern a part of Ilocos Sur (Sugpon, Alilem)
• La Union
• Pangasinan
• remainder of Japanese Samar
• remainder of Samar
• Biliran
• Leyte
• Southern Leyte
• northern a part of Cebu (Daanbantayan, Medellin, Bogo Metropolis, Tabogon, San Remigio, Borbon, Sogod, Tabuelan, Catmon, Tuburan, Carmen, Danao Metropolis, Asturias, Compostela) together with Camotes Island and Bantayan Island
• northern a part of Negros Occidental (Escalante Metropolis, Toboso, Calatrava, Sagay Metropolis, Cadiz Metropolis, Manapla, Victorias Metropolis, Enrique B. Magalona, Silay Metropolis, Talisay Metropolis)
• northern a part of Iloilo (San Dionisio, Batad, Balasan, Carles, Sara, Concepcion, Ajuy, Lemery, Barotac Viejo, San Rafael, Banate, Anilao, San Enrique, Passi Metropolis, Bingawan, Calinog, Lambunao, Dueñas, Dingle)
• Capiz
• Aklan
• northern and central components of Vintage (Libertad, Pandan, Sebaste, Culasi, Tibiao, Barbaza, Bugasong, Laua-an) together with Caluya Islands
• Calamian Islands
• Siargao Island and Bucas Grande Island
• Dinagat Islands

The very best doable tropical cyclone wind sign as a result of Opong is Sign No. 4.

The improved southwest monsoon or habagat is bringing robust to gale-force gusts to the next areas, too:

Thursday, September 25

• Ilocos Area, Batanes, Cagayan together with Babuyan Islands, Isabela, Zambales, Bataan, Palawan, Visayas (areas not beneath a wind sign), Zamboanga del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Camiguin, Caraga (areas not beneath a wind sign), Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental

Friday, September 26

• Batanes, Cagayan together with Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Palawan, Visayas (areas not beneath a wind sign), Northern Mindanao, Caraga, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental

Saturday, September 27

• Batanes, Cagayan together with Babuyan Islands, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Ilocos Area

The southwest monsoon is being enhanced by each Opong and Nando (Ragasa), which was downgraded from a brilliant storm to a storm exterior PAR on Wednesday, September 24.

PAGASA launched an up to date storm surge warning for Opong at 2 am on Thursday, protecting Aurora, Zambales, Bataan, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Bicol, Northern Samar, Japanese Samar, Samar, and Biliran.

There’s a reasonable to excessive threat of “life-threatening” storm surges with peak heights reaching 1 to three meters in these areas and provinces inside 48 hours.

The climate bureau added that situations in sure seaboards are reasonable to very tough on Thursday.

As much as tough to very tough seas (small vessels mustn’t enterprise out to sea)

• Northern and japanese seaboards of Catanduanes and Northern Samar; japanese seaboards of Albay and Sorsogon – waves as much as 6 meters excessive
• Northeastern seaboard of Japanese Samar; northern seaboards of Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte – waves as much as 4 meters excessive

As much as reasonable to tough seas (small vessels ought to take precautionary measures or keep away from crusing, if doable)

• Remaining seaboard of Japanese Samar – waves as much as 3.5 meters excessive
• Japanese seaboard of Dinagat Islands – waves as much as 3 meters excessive
• Seaboards of Batanes and Babuyan Islands; japanese seaboards of Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Polillo Islands, and Davao Oriental; northern seaboard of Ilocos Norte – waves as much as 2.5 meters excessive

Opong is the Philippines’ fifteenth tropical cyclone for 2025, and the fifth for September. It entered PAR on Tuesday, September 23, round 11 hours after Nando’s exit.

ALSO ON RAPPLER

On Thursday, the southwest monsoon will proceed to closely have an effect on Zambales, Bataan, and Occidental Mindoro. It can additionally carry extra scattered rain and thunderstorms to Metro Manila, Palawan, Cavite, components of Central Luzon, components of Western Visayas, the Negros Island Area, the Zamboanga Peninsula, and Northern Mindanao.

For the subsequent three days, the next areas are nonetheless seen to get probably the most rain from the southwest monsoon:

Thursday, September 25

• Average to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro

Friday, September 26

• Average to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Palawan, Vintage, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental

Saturday, September 27

• Average to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Palawan, Vintage, Aklan, Negros Occidental

– Rappler.com