Super Typhoon Mawar expected to enter PAR tonight

by Raphaelle Ringor

Super typhoon Mawar has regained strength after briefly weakening when it passed over Guam and is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) this evening, May 26, PAGASA says.

In a news conference, the weather agency announced that Mawar was last tracked around 2,000 kilometers east of Southeastern Luzon, still beyond PAR.

“This may enter the Philippine area of responsibility starting tomorrow evening or Saturday morning,” Daniel James Villamil, PAGASA weather expert said.

Mawar, and will be locally named as Typhoon Betty, is currently traveling west-northwestward at 15 kilometers per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 240 kilometers per hour.

PAGASA is not completely ruling out the chance that Mawar's motion would gradually shift southward during the following few days. Mawar may reach a maximum intensity of 215 km/h.

It may approach the Philippines much more closely. The most affected places would be in extreme Northern Luzon, including Batanes, the Babuyan Islands, and mainland Cagayan, says Villamil.

PAGASA projects that Mawar may cause Cagayan Valley to experience severe rain between Sunday and Tuesday of next week.

Villamil added that PAGASA is concerned that Mayar may intensify the southwest monsoon over the weekend and into the first half of the following week.