New storm to bring more rains in northern Luzon; thousands evacuated in Cagayan due to Maymay

A TROPICAL depression that entered the Philippine area of responsibility on Thursday afternoon was expected to bring rains over parts of northern Luzon, according to the state weather bureau PAGASA.

The tropical depression, which was designated the local name Neneng, was monitored 1,265 km east of extreme northern Luzon, the agency said.  

Neneng, which had maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometer per hour (km/h) near the center and gustiness of up to 55 km/h, was forecasted to move west-southwestward to westward beginning tomorrow through Saturday before turning west-northwestward towards the extreme Northern Luzon on Sunday.    

It is expected to become a tropical storm by Saturday. It might further intensify prior to its close approach to the northernmost region.  

Tropical cyclone wind signals are expected to be hoisted over Batanes Islands and several other provinces in northern Luzon, including Cagayan which is still reeling from floods triggered by tropical depression Maymay this week.   

According to PAGASA, the passage of Neneng over extreme northern Luzon could trigger heavy rainfall over the area beginning Saturday.  

“This may also bring rough to very rough seas over the northern and eastern seaboards of Luzon beginning late Friday or Saturday,” it said. “Such conditions may be risky for those using small sea crafts.”  

Meanwhile, tropical depression Maymay, which weakened into a low-pressure area on Wednesday, left a trail of floods across 14 towns in Cagayan, according to the provincial government.   

Citing reports from the provincial disaster management council, it said 4,867 families composed of 17,673 individuals were affected as of Thursday morning.   

Two fishermen from different towns have also been confirmed to have died after they set out to sea amid the storm.   

Maymay was last spotted over the coastal waters of Casiguran, Aurora, moving at a speed of 15 km/h, PAGASA weather forecaster Benison Jay Estreja said at a weather forecast on Thursday morning.  

Maymay and Neneng are the 13th and 14th typhoons to enter the Philippines this year. PAGASA officials have said another five storms could hit the country until December.  

The Philippines, an archipelago within the Pacific typhoon belt, experiences an average of 20 storms annually. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza