Typhoon "HAGUPIT" Expected To Enter PAR On Thursday

The tropical storm - with international name Hagupit - is now a typhoon.

As of 4 a.m. Wednesday, December 3, Hagupit was spotted 1,670 kilometers east of Mindanao. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 130 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph. It is forecast to move west northwest at 30 kph.

PAGASA weather forecaster Rene Paciente said it is still too early at this point to determine whether Hagupit, which will be locally named Ruby once it enters PAR, will hit the Philippine landmass.

Paciente added that supposing Hagupit will cross the Philippines, its wind strength could reach 150 to 175 kph before making landfall in the Visayas-Bicol area.

If Hagupit will make landfall, it is projected to bring moderate to intense rains (5 to 20 millimeters per hour) and storm surges as high as 4 meters.

The other possible scenario is for Hagupit to skirt the Philippine landmass due to the weakening of the high pressure area (HPA) in the northern hemisphere. This will force Hagupit to move towards southern Japan.

Raymund Liboro, Department of Science and Technology's Assistant Secretary for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction, said citizens and local government units must prepare for the possibility of Hagupit hitting land.

With Hagupit moving west northwest at its current speed, state weather forecasters are looking at Sunday, December 7, as the day the weather disturbance will first hit land.