As of August 15, 2012 at 4:00 am today, Tropical Storm "HELEN" was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 60 km South Southeast of Tuguegarao City (17.2°N 122.1°E) with maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kph. It is forecast to move West Northwest at 17 kph.
Northern Luzon including Northern Aurora will experience stormy weather and the coastal waters along these areas will be rough to very rough. Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Tarlac, La Union and the rest of Aurora will have rains with gusty winds while the rest of Central Luzon, Southern Luzon and Western Visayas will experience occasional to frequent rains which may trigger flashfloods and landslides. Mindanao and the rest of Visayas will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.
Moderate to strong winds blowing from the Southwest will prevail over the rest of the country and its coastal waters will be moderate to rough.
Public storm warning signal number 2 (61-100 kph winds) was raised over Cagayan including Calayan and Babuyan Group of Islands, Isabela, Northern Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Benguet, Ifugao, Mt. Province, Ilocos Sur, Apayao, Kalinga, Ilocos Norte, Abra, and Batanes Group of Islands, while signal number 1 (45-60 kph winds) is up in Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Tarlac, La Union and the rest of Aurora.
PAGASA alerted residents living in low lying and mountainous areas under the public storm warning signals against possible flashfloods and landslides while those living in coastal areas under public storm warning number two are alerted against big waves or storm surges.
Tropical Storm Helen will enhance the Southwest Monsoon that will bring rains over Luzon and Visayas especially over the Western section, the weather agency said.
Estimated rainfall amount is from 20 to 35 millimeters per hour (intense to torrential) within the 500-kilometer diameter of the tropical storm.
Moderate to heavy rains (7.5 to 12.0 mm/hr) is expected over Mindoro, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite at early morning today and likewise at mid-morning over Metro Manila. Intermittent light to moderate rains (2.5 - 7.5 mm/hr) is expected over Central Luzon and the rest of Southern Luzon.
Fishing boats and other small seacrafts are advised not to venture out into the Seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon and Visayas due to these weather disturbances, PAGASA added.
It meanwhile warned of possible flooding in areas near dams where water levels remain critical due to large rainfall volume.
Authorities in the following dams have been opened to release water as of 10 a.m. Wednesday:
-Angat dam, three gates at 3 meters each, releasing 444 cubic meters per second (cms) of water;
-Ipo dam, three gates at 3.3 meters each, 471.9 cms;
-Ambuklao dam, one gate, 190 cms;
-Binga dam, three gates at 2.5 meters each, 365 cms;
-San Roque dam, two gates at 1.5 meters each, 471 cms.
Gates of the Magat dam have been closed as of 5 a.m. Wednesday, even as the water level remains at 189.67 meters, close to its spilling level of 190 meters.
Other dams in critical levels are La Mesa dam at 79.16 meters versus its spilling level of 80.15 meters, and Caliraya dam at 286.76 meters and a spilling level of 288 meters.
