State weather bureau PAGASA reported that Tropical Storm Khanun has entered the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) early Saturday. The tropical storm, which will be named “Falcon” in the Philippines, will trigger monsoon rains over Zambales and Bataan, PAGASA earlier said.
PAGASA further reported that on Friday evening, Falcon was packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center, with gustiness of up to 80 km/h. Falcon is also seen moving north northwestward at the speed of 20 km/h with strong to gale-force winds extend outwards up to 650 km from the center.
PAGASA said the tropical storm is forecast to continuously intensify within the next five days and become a typhoon on Sunday. Falcon is expected to reach its peak intensity by Tuesday while over the East China Sea or outside the PAR, PAGASA said. Flooding or landslides due to scattered to widespread rains are possible in th said areas.
The weather bureau said the hoisting of storm signals over any part of the country was unlikely but added that it might enhance the southwest monsoon and bring occasional or monsoon rains over western portions of Luzon and the Visayas starting on Saturday or Sunday. The habagat is also expected to bring occasional rains over Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Occidental Mindoro, Cavite, Batangas, Rizal, Northern Palawan including Calamian, and Cuyo Islands, and the rest of Central Luzon.