Signal No. 3 up in Batanes, Babuyan Island due to Typhoon Leon

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Typhoon Leon (Kong-rey) already has maximum sustained winds of 165 km/h as of early Wednesday, October 30, and it is expected to keep intensifying

MANILA, Philippines – Typhoon Leon (Kong-rey) strengthened further over the Philippine Sea before dawn on Wednesday, October 30, prompting the weather bureau to raise Signal No. 3 for portions of extreme Northern Luzon.

Leon now has maximum sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour from the previous 155 km/h, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in a briefing past 5 am on Wednesday. Its gustiness is now up to 205 km/h from 190 km/h.

Leon is still expected to rapidly intensify into a super typhoon, possibly by early Thursday, October 31, although it may be downgraded back to a typhoon by Thursday afternoon.

Leon was located 395 kilometers east of Calayan, Cagayan, at 4 am on Wednesday. It maintained its speed, moving west northwest at 15 km/h.

The typhoon is heading for Taiwan’s eastern coast, where it could make landfall on Thursday afternoon. Taiwan is within the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

But PAGASA is not ruling out landfall in Batanes. Leon will be closest to the province between early morning and noon of Thursday.

“Leon will likely be at or near super typhoon intensity during its closest point of approach to Batanes,” the weather bureau reiterated.

Here are the areas under tropical cyclone wind signals as of 5 am on Wednesday:

Signal No. 3

Storm-force winds (89 to 117 km/h), moderate to significant threat to life and property

• Batanes
• eastern part of Babuyan Islands (Babuyan Island)

Signal No. 2

Gale-force winds (62 to 88 km/h), minor to moderate threat to life and property

• rest of Babuyan Islands
• mainland Cagayan
• northern and east