Tropical Storm Nakri is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) today and will be given the local name Quedan, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
In an advisory issued at 5 p.m. yesterday, PAGASA said the center of Nakri was spotted 1,725 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon, still outside PAR as of 4 p.m.
The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of up to 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph. It was moving north-northwest at 25 kph.
Once it enters PAR, Quedan is forecast to continue moving northwest and may exit by tomorrow morning.
PAGASA said Quedan could intensify into a severe tropical storm on Saturday as it approaches Ryukyu Islands in Japan.
The state weather bureau said Nakri is unlikely to directly affect Philippine weather or sea conditions and no tropical cyclone wind signals will be raised.
However, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the northeasterly wind are expected to bring strong to gale-force gusts over Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte and Palawan as well as the Visayas and parts of Mindanao in the coming days.
Meanwhile, 20 fishermen have been rescued after their boat capsized between the waters off Basilan and Sulu.
The F/B Mona went out for a fishing expedition at dawn on Monday when it was battered by big waves spawned by the ITCZ.
Boat captain Muhammad Javer sent out a distress call after seawater started entering the vessel.