Tropical Cyclone Uwan weakens to severe tropical storm outside PAR

Tropical Cyclone Uwan, internationally known as Fung-Wong, has weakened into a severe tropical storm outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

As of Tuesday afternoon, Uwan was observed with maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 125 kph.

The storm was located 340 kilometers west of Itbayat, Batanes, and was moving north northeastward at 15 km/h.

Signal No. 1 remains hoisted in Batanes, northern and western Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Apayao, Abra, northern Kalinga, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, northern La Union, and northwestern Pangasinan.

It is forecast to re-enter the PAR on Wednesday afternoon, make landfall in Taiwan, and eventually weaken into a low pressure area by Friday.

The Office of Civil Defense reported on Tuesday morning that most of the 18 deaths recorded so far due to Uwan were due to landslides.