TYPHOON FABIAN, with international name In-fa, is expected to be out of the Philippine area by Friday evening or early Saturday after lingering for a week and gathering strength over the country’s northern waters, weather bureau PAGASA said on Thursday.
The typhoon did not make landfall but enhanced the southwest monsoon, bringing heavy rains for days in the north and western parts of the country, triggering floods in some areas including the capital region Metro Manila.
Typhoon signal #1, the lowest in a 5-level system, was up in the Batanes and Babuyan Islands.
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, Fabian was located 505 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes with maximum sustained winds of 150 kms per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kms/h.
PAGASA said Fabian was forecast to further intensify and reach its peak intensity at up to 165 kms/h on Thursday evening.
“A weakening trend in its intensity may begin on Sunday as the typhoon makes landfall over mainland China,” it said.