MANILA, Philippines – Typhoon Leon (Kong-rey) strengthened further over the Philippine Sea before dawn on Wednesday, October 30, prompting the weather bureau to raise Signal No. 3 for portions of extreme Northern Luzon.

Leon now has maximum sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour from the previous 155 km/h, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in a briefing past 5 am on Wednesday. Its gustiness is now up to 205 km/h from 190 km/h.

Leon is still expected to rapidly intensify into a super typhoon, possibly by early Thursday, October 31, although it may be downgraded back to a typhoon by Thursday afternoon.

Leon was located 395 kilometers east of Calayan, Cagayan, at 4 am on Wednesday. It maintained its speed, moving west northwest at 15 km/h.

The typhoon is heading for Taiwan’s eastern coast, where it could make landfall on Thursday afternoon. Taiwan is within the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

But PAGASA is not ruling out landfall in Batanes. Leon will be closest to the province between early morning and noon of Thursday.

“Leon will likely be at or near super typhoon intensity during its closest point of approach to Batanes,” the weather bureau reiterated.

Here are the areas under tropical cyclone wind signals as of 5 am on Wednesday:

Signal No. 3

Storm-force winds (89 to 117 km/h), moderate to significant threat to life and property

• Batanes
• eastern part of Babuyan Islands (Babuyan Island)

Signal No. 2

Gale-force winds (62 to 88 km/h), minor to moderate threat to life and property

• rest of Babuyan Islands
• mainland Cagayan
• northern and eastern parts of Isabela (Santo Tomas, Santa Maria, Quezon, San Mariano, Naguilian, Dinapigue, Delfin Albano, San Pablo, Ilagan City, Benito Soliven, Tumauini, Cabagan, Palanan, Quirino, Divilacan, Gamu, Mallig, Maconacon, Burgos, Cauayan City, San Guillermo, Angadanan, Cabatuan, Luna, Reina Mercedes, Roxas, Aurora, San Manuel)
• Apayao
• Kalinga
• northern and eastern parts of Abra (Tineg, Lacub, Malibcong, Lagayan, San Juan, Lagangilang, Licuan-Baay, Daguioman)
• eastern part of Mountain Province (Paracelis)
• Ilocos Norte

Signal No. 1

Strong winds (39 to 61 km/h), minimal to minor threat to life and property

• rest of Isabela
• Quirino
• Nueva Vizcaya
• rest of Mountain Province
• Ifugao
• Benguet
• rest of Abra
• Ilocos Sur
• La Union
• Pangasinan
• Nueva Ecija
• Aurora
• northeastern part of Tarlac (Camiling, San Clemente, Paniqui, Moncada, Anao, San Manuel, Pura, Ramos, Victoria, Gerona, Santa Ignacia, Tarlac City, La Paz)
• northern part of Bulacan (Doña Remedios Trinidad, San Miguel)
• northern part of Quezon (Infanta, General Nakar) including Polillo Islands
• Camarines Norte
• northern part of Camarines Sur (Siruma, Tinambac, Lagonoy, Garchitorena, Caramoan)
• northern and eastern parts of Catanduanes (Pandan, Gigmoto, Bagamanoc, Panganiban, Viga, Baras, Caramoran)

The highest possible tropical cyclone wind signal due to Leon is Signal No. 4, “especially in Batanes and Babuyan Islands.” But PAGASA is not ruling out the raising of Signal No. 5 if Leon reaches super typhoon status.

“The wind flow coming towards the circulation” of the typhoon is bringing strong to gale-force gusts to localities outside wind signal areas, too:

Wednesday, October 30

• Bataan, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, most of Visayas, Dinagat Islands

Thursday, October 31

• Aurora, Batangas, Quezon, Mimaropa, Bicol

Friday, November 1

• Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora

PAGASA also updated its rainfall forecast for Leon for the next three days. Rain is concentrated mainly in Northern Luzon, but a few areas in Southern Luzon and Central Luzon as well as Antique are also included in the outlook. All should watch out for floods and landslides.

Wednesday, October 30

• Intense to torrential rain (more than 200 millimeters): Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands
• Heavy to intense rain (100-200 mm): Ilocos Norte, Apayao, Isabela, Occidental Mindoro
• Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Ilocos Sur, Abra, Kalinga, Benguet, La Union, Pangasinan, Calamian Islands, Antique

Thursday, October 31

• Intense to torrential rain (more than 200 mm): Batanes
• Heavy to intense rain (100-200 mm): Babuyan Islands
• Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): mainland Cagayan, Occidental Mindoro, Ilocos Norte, Zambales, Bataan, Cavite, Batangas, Calamian Islands

Friday, November 1

• Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Batanes

In addition, PAGASA warned Batanes and Cagayan including Babuyan Islands that they face a moderate to high risk of “life-threatening” storm surges “reaching 2 to 3 meters above normal tide levels” in the next 48 hours.

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For sea conditions in the next 24 hours, the weather bureau provided this latest forecast:

Up to very rough or high seas (travel is risky for all vessels)

• Seaboards of Batanes – waves up to 12 meters high
• Seaboards of Babuyan Islands and northeastern mainland Cagayan – waves up to 10 meters high
• Remaining eastern seaboard of mainland Cagayan – waves up to 8 meters high
• Seaboards of Isabela; remaining northern seaboard of mainland Cagayan – waves up to 7 meters high
• Northern seaboard of Ilocos Norte – waves up to 6 meters high
• Seaboard of northern Aurora – waves up to 4.5 meters high

Up to rough seas (small vessels should not venture out to sea)

• Western seaboard of Ilocos Norte; remaining seaboard of Aurora; northern and eastern seaboards of Polillo Islands; seaboard of Camarines Norte; northern seaboard of Camarines Sur; northern and eastern seaboards of Catanduanes – waves up to 4 meters high
• Seaboard of Ilocos Sur; northern and eastern seaboards of Northern Samar – waves up to 3.5 meters high
• Eastern seaboards of mainland Quezon, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, and Eastern Samar; remaining seaboards of Ilocos Region – waves up to 3 meters high

Up to moderate seas (small vessels should take precautionary measures or avoid sailing, if possible)

• Seaboards of Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Islands, and Kalayaan Islands; western seaboard of northern Palawan; eastern seaboards of Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur – waves up to 2.5 meters high
• Remaining seaboards of Luzon and Visayas – waves up to 2 meters high

After crossing Taiwan, Leon is expected to head for the East China Sea and exit PAR on Thursday evening or early Friday morning, November 1.

PAGASA said another landfall in mainland China is not being ruled out.

Leon is the Philippines’ 12th tropical cyclone for 2024, and the second for October. – Rappler.com