Severe Tropical Storm ‘Champi’ outside PAR intensifies into a typhoon

MANILA, Philippines — Severe Tropical Storm internationally named “Champi” intensified into a typhoon early Saturday morning, Oct. 17.

It is forecast to bring rains into the country by Monday, the state weather bureau said.

In its 2 a.m. weather advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Champi developed into a typhoon outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR).

As of 3 a.m., it was located 2,675 kilometers (km) east of Eastern Visayas. 

According to Pagasa, Champi is moving west northwestward at 25 km per hour.

It packs maximum sustained winds of up to 140 km per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 170 km per hour.

READ: Storm outside PAR may affect, enter PAR early next week – Pagasa

The weather bureau previously said that the typhoon may enter the PAR by Tuesday, although its trough, or extension, may bring rains over parts of Visayas and Mindanao as early as Monday.

In the meantime, the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) will continue to affect Mindanao, Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, Cebu and Palawan.

It may bring cloudy skies with scattered to isolated rains over the areas on Saturday.

Pagasa also reported that the ITCZ may affect the rest of the Visayas, causing partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rains.

Meanwhile, gloomy skies with scattered to scattered rains and thunderstorms may prevail over Bicol Region, the rest of Mimaropa, Quezon, and Aurora due to the easterlies.

The easterlies is also forecast to bring partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rains over Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon.

Batanes and Babuyan Islands may continue to experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains due to the northeasterly wind flow. /apl