According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), a weather forecast was issued at 1600 (local time) on Tuesday (23 June) for Super Typhoon Francisco (Mekkhala). Francisco was located approximately 340 kilometres (km) east of Calayan, Cagayan, at around 1500 hours (local time), with maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometres per hour (km/h) and gusts reaching up to 215 km/h, moving northwestward at 10 km/h.
The Southwest Monsoon is also affecting southern Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. The weather forecast is valid until 1600 hours (local time) on Wednesday (24 June).
• Additionally, Tropical Storm “Higos” was located about 2,490 km east of southeastern Luzon, with maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h and gusts of up to 80 km/h, moving westward at 20 km/h.
• Across affected areas, Batanes and the Babuyan Islands are expected to experience rains with gusty winds caused by Typhoon Francisco, while the rest of Cagayan Valley, Aurora, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija will witness cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms.
• Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, BARMM, the rest of Central Luzon, Misamis Occidental, and Lanao del Norte are forecast to experience similar conditions due to the Southwest Monsoon.
• The remaining parts of Visayas, Mindanao, and Luzon are likely to experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.
• Wind conditions are expected to range from moderate to strong in Northern Luzon and light to moderate across the rest of the country. Coastal waters in northern and eastern sections of Northern Luzon are expected to be moderate to rough (1.5–4.0 metres), while Central Luzon and the rest of Northern Luzon may experience slight to moderate seas (0.6–2.5 metres), and the rest of the country may experience slight to moderate seas (0.6–2.1 metres).
