The latest typhoon bulletin at noon on June 23 from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that super typhoon Mekkhala has weakened to a strong typhoon when turning east towards the Batanes-Babuyan area.
According to the latest data, Typhoon Mekkhala is 410km east of Aparri, Cagayan and is moving northwest at a speed of 10 km/h.
Level 1 storm wind warnings have been issued by PAGASA in Batanes and northeastern Cagayan, including eastern Babuyan Island and Santa Ana and Gonzaga towns on mainland Cagayan.
The rainy area on the edge of Typhoon Mekkhala is affecting some areas of the Cagayan valley, Aurora, Quezon and the Bicol region.
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon caused scattered rain in Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Negros Islands, Zamboanga Peninsula and Sulu Islands.
Medium to heavy rain is forecast to occur in Batanes, Cagayan, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan and Antique on June 23. Medium to heavy rain may last until June 24 in Batanes, Occidental Mindoro and Palawan.
Notably, weather forecasters in the Philippines pointed out that Typhoon Mekkhala may pull the southwest monsoon towards Luzon in the middle of the week, bringing scattered rain in the western area of the island, including Metro Manila.
Forecast, Mekkhala leaves the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on June 26.
While Mekkhala is actively operating near the Philippines, a new storm has formed in the east of the country. The international name of this storm is Higos.
Accordingly, the tropical depression outside PAR has strengthened into a tropical storm. The new storm is 2,680km southeast of Luzon, Philippines.
It is forecasted that this storm will approach the northeastern boundary of PAR on June 26 and will not directly affect the weather in the Philippines.
If entering PAR, this storm is locally named Gardo.
