Maniolas

Tropical Storm Dante (international code name Yagi) continued to move fruther away from the country Monday and may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility as early as Tuesday morning, state weather forecasters said. Citing PAGASA’s models, PAGASA forecaster Elvie Enriquez said Tropical Storm Dante is now heading for Okinawa in Japan. She also said the conditions were “ripe” for them to declare the start of the rainy season within this week. The southwest winds were now affecting the country, but they are waiting for “sustained” rain to formally declare the start of the rainy season. As of 4 a.m. Monday, Tropical Storm Dante was estimated at 1,030 km northeast of Basco, Batanes, with maximum sustained winds of 75 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 90 kph. It is forecast to move north-northeast at 15 kph, PAGASA said in its 5 a.m. bulletin. Monday outlook For Monday, PAGASA said Mimaropa, Bicol and western Visayas will experience “cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms.” Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be “partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening,” it added. PAGASA also said moderate to strong winds from the southwest to west will prevail over extreme northern Luzon and its coastal waters will be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds will be moderate to occasionally strong coming from the southwest with moderate to occasionally rough seas. — DVM, GMA News