After exit from PAR, Verbena now a typhoon near Kalayaan Islands

MANILA, Philippines – Verbena (Koto) intensified from a severe tropical storm into a typhoon over the waters north of Kalayaan Islands, outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), on Thursday morning, November 27.

Verbena’s maximum sustained winds increased from 110 kilometers per hour to 140 km/h, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in a bulletin issued at 11 am on Thursday. Its gustiness is now up to 170 km/h from the previous 135 km/h.

The typhoon was last spotted 255 kilometers north of Pag-asa Island, Kalayaan, Palawan, as of 10 am. It slowed down, moving west northwest at 15 km/h from 20 km/h.

Verbena had left PAR at 12:50 am on Thursday, but it continues to affect Kalayaan Islands. It is bringing moderate to heavy rain, with at times intense rain, to the island group. Its trough or extension may trigger scattered rain and thunderstorms in the rest of Palawan as well.

Signal No. 1 also remains raised in Kalayaan Islands as of 11 am on Thursday due to strong winds from Verbena. Signal No. 2 was the highest tropical cyclone wind signal raised when Verbena was inside PAR.

The surge of the northeast monsoon or amihan and Verbena are also causing gusty conditions even in these areas that are not under a wind signal:

Thursday, November 27

• Batanes, Cagayan, Apayao, Abra, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan

Friday, November 28

• Batanes, Cagayan, Apayao, Abra, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Palawan

Saturday, November 29

• Batanes, Cagayan, Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur

In addition, conditions in certain seaboards remain dangerous on Thursday due to Verbena and the northeast monsoon.

Up to very rough or high seas (travel is risky for all vessels)

• Seaboards of Kalayaan Islands – waves up to 7 meters high
• Seaboards of Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, and Ilocos Sur – waves up to 5.5 meters high
• Northern seaboard of mainland Cagayan; remaining seaboard of Ilocos Region – waves up to 4.5 meters high

Up to rough seas (small vessels should not venture out to sea)

• Remaining seaboards of mainland Cagayan – waves up to 4 meters high
• Seaboards of Isabela and Zambales – waves up to 3.5 meters high
• Seaboard of Aurora – waves up to 3 meters high

Up to moderate to rough seas (small vessels should take precautionary measures or avoid sailing, if possible)

• Seaboards of northern mainland Quezon and Camarines Norte; northern and eastern seaboards of Polillo Islands, Catanduanes, and Northern Samar; northern seaboard of Camarines Sur; eastern seaboards of Albay and Sorsogon; western seaboard of Palawan – waves up to 2.5 meters high
• Western seaboards of Bataan and Occidental Mindoro; northern seaboard of Calamian Islands; eastern seaboards of Eastern Samar and Dinagat Islands; northern and eastern seaboards of Siargao-Bucas Grande Islands – waves up to 2 meters high

Verbena is the Philippines’ 22nd tropical cyclone for 2025, and the third for November, after Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi) and Super Typhoon Uwan (Fung-wong).

Outside PAR, it is projected to slightly weaken in the next 48 hours, and may be downgraded back to a severe tropical storm on Friday evening, November 28, or Saturday, November 29. But it could “re-intensify briefly into a typhoon over the weekend,” PAGASA said, followed by “a more sustained weakening trend.”

Bringing moderate to intense rain, Verbena made landfall in the country seven times — the first six as a tropical depression, and the seventh as a tropical storm.

Monday, November 24

• Bayabas, Surigao del Sur (1:30 pm)
• Jagna, Bohol (11:10 pm)

Tuesday, November 25

• Talisay City, Cebu (2:40 am)
• Vallehermoso, Negros Oriental (5:50 am)
• San Lorenzo, Guimaras (7:40 am)
• Miagao, Iloilo (8:50 am)
• Linapacan, Palawan (10:50 pm)

Meanwhile, the shear line continues to affect the eastern portion of Northern Luzon, while the northeast monsoon is affecting the rest of Northern Luzon on Thursday. Flash floods and landslides are still possible.

For the shear line, these provinces are receiving the most rainfall:

Thursday noon, November 27, to Friday noon, November 28

• Heavy to intense rain (100-200 millimeters): Cagayan
• Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Apayao, Kalinga, Isabela

Friday noon, November 28, to Saturday noon, November 29

• Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Apayao, Cagayan, Isabela

Saturday noon, November 29, to Sunday noon, November 30

• Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Cagayan

Mountain Province and Ifugao may also have scattered rain and isolated thunderstorms due to the shear line on Thursday.

The shear line refers to the point where cold air from the northeast monsoon converges with the easterlies or warm winds from the Pacific Ocean.

The northeast monsoon, meanwhile, is causing moderate to at times heavy rain in the rest of Cagayan Valley, the rest of the Cordillera Administrative Region, and the Ilocos Region.

Aurora and Quezon have scattered rain and thunderstorms, too, because of the easterlies.

The rest of the country will have generally fair weather, but there may be isolated rain showers or thunderstorms. – Rappler.com