Leon intensifies into typhoon; Signal No. 2 raised in parts of Cagayan Valley

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Typhoon Leon (Kong-rey) is still expected to keep gaining strength, and ‘there is an increasing chance’ that it will become a super typhoon

MANILA, Philippines – Leon (Kong-rey) intensified from a severe tropical storm into a typhoon on Tuesday morning, October 29, while over the waters east of Cagayan province.

Leon now has maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour from the previous 110 km/h, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in a briefing past 11 am on Tuesday. Its gustiness is now up to 160 km/h from 135 km/h.

As of 10 am on Tuesday, Leon was located 555 kilometers east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. It continues to move west northwest at only 10 km/h.

PAGASA expects the typhoon to keep moving generally west northwest on Tuesday, then turn northwest on Wednesday, October 30, until it makes landfall along Taiwan’s eastern coast on Thursday afternoon or evening, October 31. Taiwan is within the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

But PAGASA is not ruling out landfall for Leon in the Philippines’ northernmost province of Batanes if its track shifts further westward or nearer the country’s landmass. The typhoon will be closest to Batanes between early morning and noon of Thursday.

The weather bureau also maintained that Leon “is expected to rapidly intensify throughout its passage over the Philippine Sea up to until before landfall over Taiwan.”

“Leon will likely be at or near its peak intensity during its closest point of approach to Batanes,” PAGASA also said. “Furthermore, there is an increasing chance that Leon will reach super typhoon category.”

A super typhoon has maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h or above.

In an updated rainfall advisory issued at 11 am on Tuesday, PAGASA upgraded the rain in Isabela to