All storm signals lifted as ‘Betty’ about to exit PH

ALL storm alerts have been lifted as Severe Tropical Storm “Betty” continues to weaken and is about to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on Thursday.

Pagasa in its 11 a.m. bulletin said Betty will likely exit the country either Thursday afternoon or evening.

“It will accelerate northward or north-northeastward before beginning to turn north-eastward or east-northeastward over the waters near the Ryukyu Islands,” the state-run weather agency said.

Outside the PAR, the severe tropical storm may make landfall or pass very close to Okinawa Island Thursday night or early Friday morning, Pagasa said.

Estimated at 570 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, Betty is moving 10 kilometers per hour (kph) while packing maximum sustained winds of 100 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 125 kph.

The state weather bureau said Betty may further be downgraded into a tropical storm on Saturday.