Tropical Depression Rosal slightly intensifies as it moves away
MANILA, Philippines – Tropical Depression Rosal strengthened a bit on Sunday morning, December 11, while still moving away from Philippine landmass.
Rosal’s maximum sustained winds increased from 45 kilometers per hour to 55 km/h, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in a bulletin issued at 11 am on Sunday. Its gustiness is now up to 70 km/h from the previous 55 km/h.
The tropical depression was last spotted 420 kilometers east of Casiguran, Aurora, or 455 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.
It is moving east northeast at 15 km/h, slightly slower than its previous speed of 20 km/h.
Rosal did not make landfall in the Philippines. It is expected to keep moving northeast or east northeast from Sunday to Tuesday morning, December 13, before turning east southeast.
For the rest of Sunday, PAGASA said rain showers and thunderstorms may still hit the following areas:
- Calabarzon
- northern part of Palawan including Calamian Islands
- Oriental Mindoro
- Occidental Mindoro
- Marinduque
Floods and landslides remain possible.
Signal No. 1 raised due to Rosal was lifted on Saturday evening, December 10.
But the weather bureau said there may be occasional gusts due to the surge of the northeast monsoon or hanging amihan, partly enhanced by Rosal, in the following areas:
- Batanes
- Babuyan Islands
- northern and eastern parts of Cagayan
- eastern part of Isabela
- Ilocos Norte
- Calaguas Islands
- extreme northern part of Catanduanes
The gale warning issued at 5 am on Sunday remains in effect:
- seaboards of Northern Luzon (Batanes, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands) – rough to very rough seas, waves 2.8 to 5 meters high
PAGASA advised fishing boats and other small vessels not to sail, and larger vessels to watch out for big waves.
The surge of the northeast monsoon and the tropical depression combined may also cause moderate to rough seas, with waves 1.5 to 3.5 meters high, in the seaboards of Central Luzon as well as the eastern and western seaboards of Southern Luzon. Travel may be risky for small vessels.
PAGASA said Rosal may still intensify into a low-end tropical storm within 24 hours.
But cold air from the monsoon surge would mean “increasingly unfavorable conditions” for Rosal by late Monday, December 12, and it may start weakening. Tropical cyclones are fueled by warm air.
PAGASA said Rosal “may become a post-tropical low embedded along the leading edge of the monsoon surge” by late Tuesday or on Wednesday, December 14.
Rosal is the country’s 18th tropical cyclone for 2022 and the first for December. The weather bureau earlier said there may be one or two tropical cyclones during the month. – Rappler.com