MANILA, Philippines – Julian (Krathon), a powerful and destructive super typhoon at its peak, weakened into a low pressure area (LPA) at 8 am on Friday, October 4.
It also left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) for the second and final time.
As of 10 am on Friday, the LPA that was once Julian was already 480 kilometers north of Itbayat, Batanes, or in the vicinity of Neihu District, Taiwan.
It is moving further away from PAR, heading north at 45 kilometers per hour (km/h).
“The remnant circulation of Julian is forecast to merge with the frontal system” over the Taiwan area, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in a bulletin issued at 11 am.
On Friday, moderate or rough seas will persist in the seaboards of Batanes, Babuyan Islands, and Ilocos Norte (waves up to 3 meters high), remaining seaboards of the Ilocos Region and seaboard of Zambales (waves up to 2.5 meters high), and northern seaboard of mainland Cagayan, seaboard of Bataan, western seaboard of Lubang Island, western seaboard of Calamian Islands, western seaboard of northern mainland Palawan, and seaboard of Kalayaan Islands (waves up to 2 meters high). Small vessels should not venture out to sea.
Julian was the Philippines’ 10th tropical cyclone for 2024 and sixth tropical cyclone for September alone.
It developed from an LPA inside PAR on September 27; made its first exit from PAR last Tuesday, October 1; then reentered on Thursday, October 3.
Julian did not make landfall in the Philippines, but passed very close to Batanes and Babuyan Islands in the last days of September. It made landfall in Taiwan, which is within PAR, on Thursday.
At its peak as a super typhoon, Julian had maximum sustained winds of 195 km/h. The highest tropical cyclone wind signal raised was Signal No. 4 in Batanes and part of Babuyan Islands.
Julian also triggered moderate to torrential rain in Northern Luzon and parts of Central Luzon.
The sources of rain in the country on Friday are the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), a belt near the equator where the trade winds of the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere meet, and the easterlies, or warm winds coming from the Pacific Ocean.
The ITCZ is causing scattered rain and thunderstorms in Bicol, the Visayas, and the Zamboanga Peninsula.
The easterlies, meanwhile, will bring isolated rain showers or thunderstorms to the Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, and Central Luzon.
The rest of the country will also have isolated rain showers or thunderstorms, but due to the ITCZ. – Rappler.com
