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Tropical Depression Mirasol is now ‘less likely’ to bring significant rainfall to Northern Luzon on Thursday, September 18. Tropical Depression Nando remains far from land.
MANILA, Philippines – Tropical Depression Mirasol continued to move away from Northern Luzon early Thursday morning, September 18, while Tropical Depression Nando maintained its strength over the Philippine Sea.
Mirasol
Mirasol was last spotted 165 kilometers west of Calayan, Cagayan, at 4 am on Thursday. It maintained its slow movement, heading west northwest at only 10 kilometers per hour (km/h).
The tropical depression still has maximum sustained winds of 55 km/h, while its gustiness is up to 70 km/h. But it is seen to intensify into a tropical storm on Thursday.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Mirasol is now “less likely” to bring significant rainfall to Cagayan, Isabela, Kalinga, Apayao, Abra, Ilocos Norte, and Ilocos Sur.
But scattered rain and thunderstorms due to the tropical depression may still hit the Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Zambales, and Bataan on Thursday.
Signal No. 1 also remains in effect in the following areas still seeing strong winds as of 5 am:
- Batanes
- Babuyan Islands
- western part of mainland Cagayan (Santo Niño, Camalaniugan, Pamplona, Rizal, Claveria, Lasam, Aparri, Ballesteros, Abulug, Allacapan, Sanchez-Mira, Santa Praxedes)
- Apayao
- northern part of Abra (Pidigan, San Juan, Tayum, Langiden, Lagangilang, Danglas, La Paz, Licuan-Baay, Tineg, Malibcong, Peñarrubia, San Isidro, San Quintin, Dolores, Lagayan, Bangued, Bucay, Lacub, Sallapadan)
- Ilocos Norte
- northern part of Ilocos Sur (Sinait, Cabugao, San Juan, Magsingal, Santo Domingo, Bantay, San Vicente, San Ildefonso, Santa Catalina, Vigan City, Caoayan, Santa, Nagbukel, Narvacan)
Up to moderate seas are still expected as well in the eastern seaboard of mainland Cagayan; seaboards of Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, and Ilocos Sur; and western seaboard of Pangasinan on Thursday.
PAGASA advised small vessels to take precautionary measures or avoid sailing, if possible, since waves may be up to 2 meters high.
Mirasol made landfall in Casiguran, Aurora, at 3:20 am on Wednesday, September 17, then crossed Northern Luzon.
It is projected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Thursday morning or afternoon, then head for the southern part of China, where it could make landfall by Saturday, September 20.
Nando
As for Nando, it was located 1,225 kilometers east of southeastern Luzon at 4 am on Thursday, moving north northwest at 15 km/h.
Like Mirasol, it has maximum sustained winds of 55 km/h and gustiness of up to 70 km/h.
PAGASA reiterated that Nando “is less likely to directly affect the weather” over the next two days. But beyond that period, it will have an impact on the country and possibly enhance the southwest monsoon or habagat as it heads for extreme Northern Luzon.
Heavy rain due to Nando and the southwest monsoon could begin on Sunday, September 21, or Monday, September 22.
Signal No. 1 may also be raised in Northern Luzon as early as Saturday, providing lead time of 36 hours to prepare for strong winds.
Also by Saturday, Nando could already be a typhoon. “Further intensification into super typhoon category is not ruled out,” added PAGASA.
If Nando does become a super typhoon, the highest possible tropical cyclone wind signal would be Signal No. 5.
Mirasol and Nando are the Philippines’ 13th and 14th tropical cyclones, respectively, for 2025. They also bring to four the number of tropical cyclones in September — the upper end of PAGASA’s estimated range for the month.
ALSO ON RAPPLER
Southwest monsoon
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon is causing scattered rain and thunderstorms in Mimaropa and Western Visayas, as well as isolated rain showers or thunderstorms in other parts of Southern Luzon and Central Luzon, on Thursday.
The southwest monsoon is bringing strong to gale-force gusts to these areas, too:
Thursday, September 18
- La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Tarlac, Pampanga, Benguet, Mimaropa, Quezon, Bicol, Western Visayas
Friday, September 19
- Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Ilocos Region
Saturday, September 20
- Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, Romblon, Masbate
– Rappler.com
