By Grace Gajetes

Published: June 18, 2012

While Bagyong Butchoy is now ready to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility, another tropical storm that would be named Bagyong Carina now threatens to enter the country from east.

While the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) hasn’t issued a weather bulletin regarding new weather system that would soon  hit the country, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) already did.

Based on the data provided by JTWC today, Bagyong Carina is located 909 kilometers West, Northwest of Laoag City 18.7N 112.0E. It comes with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of 80 kilometers per hour while having a speed of 13 kph in East, Southeastward direction.

There is no certainty for now if Bagyong Carina will make a landfall or if it will ever go near the islands of the archipelago. In case it would, the Northwestern Visayas will be affected together with Boracay, Romblon, Western Luzon and even Metro Manila.

Meanwhile, as the southwest monsoon pushes Bagyong Butchoy out of the country, light to heavy rains and occasional gusty winds will be felt along the Visayas and Luzon region. If Bagyong Carina hits the country a few days after Butchoy exits, people should be more vigilant for floods and landslides considering the soil is still wet because of the rains brought by the southwest monsoon.