Tropical storm 'Vinta' enters RP

MANILA, Philippines - A tropical storm with international name “Nida” entered the Philippine area of responsibility Wednesday night but it is not expected to directly affect the country, the state weather bureau said yesterday.

The storm, locally named “Vinta,” was “too far to directly affect the country,” according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Vinta is the 22nd tropical cyclone to enter the country this year and the first weather disturbance this month.

As of 10 a.m. yesterday, Vinta was spotted some 1,120 kilometers east northeast of Basco, Batanes with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center.

The storm was downgraded to a tropical depression yesterday morning and was expected to remain almost stationary.

It is predicted to be 1,100 km east northeast of Basco this morning and 1,360 km east northeast of Basco or 750 km east southeast of Okinawa, Japan by tomorrow morning.

Pagasa said the northeast monsoon will bring mostly cloudy skies with scattered light rains over Luzon and Visayas. The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

It said moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over Luzon and Visayas and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough.