(grabbed from PAGASA's Facebook page)
MANILA – Some areas in Northern Luzon remain under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 even if Typhoon Egay (international name Doksuri) is already outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility, the weather bureau said Thursday afternoon.
Batanes, northern portion of Apayao (Calanasan, Luna, Santa Marcela), Ilocos Norte, and the northwestern portion of Cagayan (Santa Praxedes, Claveria, Sanchez-Mira, Pamplona, Abulug, Ballesteros) including Babuyan Islands are under Signal No. 1 and may experience minimal to minor impacts of strong winds.
In its 5 p.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Doksuri was last tracked 280 km. west northwest of Itbayat, Batanes.
The typhoon packs maximum sustained winds of 150 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph.
Areas in Luzon and Western Visayas where wind signals were not hoisted may still experience gusty conditions due to the enhanced southwest monsoon.
The southwest monsoon will also continue to bring occasional monsoon rains over the western portions of Northern and Central Luzon and Southern Luzon in the next three days.
Doksuri and the southwest monsoon continue to cause rough to very high seas over several coastal waters along the seaboards of Luzon and the eastern and western seaboards of the Visayas.
All mariners are advised to remain in port or seek safe harbor until winds and waves subside, PAGASA said.
Air transport operations
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Thursday said that except for the Laoag International Airport, operations in all the other airports in Northern Luzon that were affected by the typhoon are now back to normal.
CAAP reported minor damage and power outage in some airports on Wednesday as the typhoon hit Northern Luzon.
Laoag International Airport temporarily halted operations due to the weather situation. The airport's ceiling and doors were partially damaged and required repairs.
"These are still being repaired. If weather permits, the airport might be operational tomorrow," CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio told reporters on Thursday.
In a public briefing, he said the airports in Vigan, Baguio, Lingayen, Rosales, San Fernando, Tuguegarao, Basco, Cauayan, Bagabag, Itbayat and Palanan are now operational.
Electricity and internet connectivity have been restored in Tuguegarao Airport, he said.
Apolonio said the runway and facilities of airports affected by the typhoon are being cleared of debris.
"What's important is to remove foreign objects, debris because it poses a risk to aircraft engines,” he said.
He said even if the airports are open, it is still up to the airline companies if they would want to operate.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has, so far, logged 22 cancelled domestic flights due to bad weather on Thursday. These included flights to and from Basco, Laoag, Masbate, El Nido, and Romblon.
"We advise passengers to coordinate with airlines, so they could at least know the status of their flights prior to going to the airports," Apolonio added. (PNA)
