The country's 21st and potentially last storm this year was spotted 95 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar at 1 p.m., packing maximum winds of 120 km per hour and up to 150 kph gusts, PAGASA said.
The storm's entry has stranded thousands in ports hoping to go home to their provinces for Christmas as sea travel in areas at risk has been barred.
Ursula (international name: Phanfone) is forecast to hit land over Borongan-Guiuan area between 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, it added.
Until noon of Christmas Day on Wednesday, Ursula will bring occasional to frequent heavy rains over Dinagat Islands, Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands, Eastern Visayas, Sorsogon, Masbate, northern and central Cebu, northern Negros Provinces, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras and Romblon.
Light to moderate with intermittent heavy rains, meanwhile, will be experienced over the rest of Bicol region, Quezon, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, and the rest of Visayas and Surigao del Norte.
Storm surges of up to 2 meters may hit coastal areas in Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, and Leyte, the weather agency warned.
PAGASA hoisted storm warning signal no. 3 over the following areas, where winds could uproot big trees, peel off roofs and cause "moderate to heavy damage to exposed communities."
Visayas
Northern Samar
Samar
Eastern Samar
Biliran
Leyte
Camotes Islands
It also raised storm warning signal no. 2 over the following areas, where winds between 61 kph and 120 kph may bring "light to moderate" damage.
Luzon
Southern portion of Quezon (Mulanay, San Narciso, San Andres, San Francisco)
Marinduque
Oriental Mindoro
Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Island
Romblon
Albay
Sorsogon
Masbate including Burias and Ticao Islands
Visayas
Extreme northern Cebu including Bantayan
northeastern Iloilo
northern Antique
Capiz
Aklan
Southern Leyte and extreme northern Negros Occidental
Mindanao
Dinagat Islands
Storm signal no. 1 — which means winds could "partially unroof" houses made of light materials and cause "significant damage" to rice crops — was, meanwhile, hoisted over the following areas:
Luzon
Metro Manila
Bulacan
Bataan
Rizal
Cavite
rest of Quezon
Laguna
Batangas
Camarines Sur
Camarines Norte
Catanduanes
northern Palawan
Calamian Islands and Cuyo Islands
Visayas
The rest of northern Cebu
central Cebu
northeastern Bohol
rest of Antique
rest of Iloilo
Guimaras
northern Negros Occidental
northern Negros Oriental
Mindanao
Surigao del Norte including Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands
Some 16,600 passengers were stuck in ports in Metro Manila, Southern Luzon, Bicol Region and Visayas after sea trips were canceled due to the bad weather, said the Philippine Coast Guard.
Ursula is expected to leave the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday morning, if it continues moving west northwest at 30 kph, said PAGASA.
Christmas storm Usman, one of the deadliest tropical cyclones of 2018, left 156 dead and damaged some 32,000 houses in parts of Luzon and Visayas, the disaster agency reported last year.
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