Pagasa: Northern portions of PH to be most affected by Rosal

MANILA, Philippines — Northern parts of the country are expected to bear the brunt of Super Typhoon Rosal, with heavy rains and strong winds possible in the coming days, the state weather bureau said Tuesday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Super Typhoon Champi entered the Philippine area of responsibility at 10:40 a.m. Tuesday and was given the local name Rosal. It was the 18th tropical cyclone to enter the area this year.

READ: Super Typhoon Rosal enters PAR; Signal No. 1 in 5 Luzon areas

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“While the super typhoon will not directly make landfall in the Batanes area, it may affect the northernmost islands, the Batanes group of islands,” Pagasa Administrator Nathaniel Severino said in a press briefing.

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In its 11 a.m. bulletin, Pagasa said Rosal was last spotted 1,385 kilometers east of Central Luzon as of 10 a.m. It had maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 230 kph.

Pagasa also raised Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 over Batanes, the eastern portion of the Babuyan Islands, eastern mainland Cagayan, northeastern Isabela and northeastern Catanduanes. Residents in these areas have 36 hours of lead time before potentially experiencing strong winds, the bureau said.

In the same press briefing, Pagasa Assistant Weather Services Chief Christopher Perez said that while Rosal was not yet directly affecting the country, it was expected to approach Extreme Northern Luzon in the coming days.

Perez said Rosal was forecast to be 930 kilometers east of Northern Luzon on Wednesday, 485 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes, on Thursday, and 360 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, on Friday.

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READ: ‘Very strong El Niño’ to persist in PH until early 2027 — Pagasa

“As Super Typhoon Rosal approaches Extreme Northern Luzon, more areas could be placed under wind signals,” Perez said, noting that the highest signal that could be raised was No. 2 or 3.

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Meanwhile, weather specialist Samuel Duran said Metro Manila could experience rain this week, but heavy rainfall warnings were unlikely to be issued for the area.

Why is there a super typhoon during El Niño?

Despite the ongoing El Niño phenomenon, tropical cyclones can still form and enter the country.

Pagasa Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section Chief Ana Liza Solis explained that more typhoons and super typhoons enter the country during El Niño, regardless of whether the phenomenon is weak, moderate, strong or very strong.

“The typhoon’s track is unusual because tropical cyclones at this time of the year are generally expected to make landfall and cross the country, but this storm is still recurving, which is also a characteristic of tropical cyclones during El Niño,” she said during the briefing.

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Pagasa earlier said El Niño could reach a very strong state by the end of 2026 and persist through the first half of 2027. The agency also forecast that more areas would experience drought conditions from October 2026 to March 2027. /das