MANILA -- "Karen" (Sakira) now threatens the Catanduanes province in Luzon after it intensified into a severe tropical storm Friday afternoon, said the state weather bureau.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal (TCWS) number 2 may be raised over the provinces of Quezon, Aurora, Albay and Polillio Island this evening (Friday) or tomorrow morning (October 15).
It said that as of 4 p.m. Friday (October 14), the center of Karen was located at 205 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes. The storm was packing maximum winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 140 kph.
Karen will bring moderate to heavy rains in areas within its 500 kilometers diameter, said Pagasa.
With this, flashfloods and landslides may occur over areas that are under TCWS number 2 and 1.
TCWS 2 was hoisted over Catanduanes, Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte, while TCWS 1 was raised over Albay, Sorsogon, Quezon including Polillo Island, Aurora, Isabela, Quirino, Laguna, Rizal, Marinduque, Ticao and Burias Island, Masbate, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite, Batangas and Metro Manila, as well as in Northern Samar in the Visayas.
Pagasa warned fisherfolk and those with small seacrafts against venturing out over the eastern seaboard of Eastern Samar.
It said that Karen was forecast to move west northwest at 9 kph; thus, will be located in the vicinity of Catanduanes by Saturday afternoon; 45 kilometers north northeast of Iba, Zambales, by Sunday afternoon;
520 kilometers west northwest of Iba by Monday afternoon; and 840 kilometers north northwest of Pagasa Island in Palawan by Tuesday afternoon. (LMY/Sunnex)