Tropical depression ‘Romina’ continues to move towards the southern Kalayaan Islands, which remains under tropical cyclone wind signal no. 1, including Balabac town in Palawan, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Sunday.
“’Romina’ may briefly reach tropical storm category within the next 12 hours before weakening into a tropical depression for the rest of the forecast period,” PAGASA said in a 5:00 p.m. advisory.
Forecasters noted that the weather disturbance is expected to turn northwestward or west northwestward within the forecast period and may pass near the southern portion of the Kalayaan Islands in the next 24 hours.
“It must be noted that a brief entry within the Philippine Area of Responsibility is not ruled out,” PAGASA said. “It must be emphasized that the track may still shift within the limit of the forecast confidence cone as the tropical cyclone continues to further organize,” it added.
TD ‘Romina’ was last monitored based on all available data over the coastal waters of Rurok Island, Kalayaan, Palawan. It remains outside the Philippine area of responsibility, but was serious enough to warrant a name, according to PAGASA.
It was moving northward at 35 kilometers per hour with maximum sustained winds of 55 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 70 km/h.
