Typhoon Uwan (international name Fung-wong) has maintained its strength while moving northward outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), the state weather bureau reported Tuesday.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), in its 5 a.m. bulletin, located the typhoon’s center approximately 365 kilometers west of Calayan, Cagayan.
Uwan is packing maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center, with gustiness of up to 150 km/h, and is moving north at 15 km/h. Strong to typhoon-force winds extend outward up to 750 kilometers from the center.
Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 2 remains hoisted over Batanes, Cagayan (including Babuyan Islands), Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, parts of Mountain Province, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and northern La Union. Residents in these areas should prepare for gale-force winds with minor to moderate impacts.
Meanwhile, TCWS No. 1 is in effect for Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Aurora, parts of Central Luzon, Metro Manila, CALABARZON, northern Quezon (including Polillo Islands), and Lubang Islands, where strong winds with minimal to minor impacts are expected within 36 hours.
PAGASA also issued a gale warning over the seaboards of Northern Luzon and the western seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon, cautioning against risky sea travel. Wave heights could reach up to eight meters in the Ilocos Region and up to six meters off Zambales, Batanes, and the Babuyan Islands.
The typhoon is forecast to continue its northward track before recurring northeastward. It is expected to weaken into a severe tropical storm before its anticipated landfall over western Taiwan.
Uwan may briefly re-enter the PAR late Wednesday as it crosses Taiwan’s southwestern coast and is projected to dissipate into a remnant low by Friday after emerging near the Ryukyu Islands.