Bagyong Amang, the first tropical storm that enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Thursday won’t spoil the visit of the world’s foremost leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis. The tropical storm is not forecast to make landfall, but will dump rains over Tacloban, Leyte, one of the places included in Pope Francis itinerary.
The tropical storm Amang with internationalname Mekkhala is packing a maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of 80 kph., and moving west northwest at 19 kph.
According to PAGASA, the storm has a low chance of making landfall over Eastern Visayas due to the presence of the northeast monsoon or amihan. Bagyong Amang is expected to weaken and be downgraded back to a tropical depression while over the Pacific Ocean.
Despite the bad weather condition, PAGASA believes that Pope Francis will still be able to land safely at the Tacloban Airport, the place considered as the ground zero during the worst typhoon that hit the Philippines, the super typhoon Yolanda.
Pope Francis is scheduled to celebrate a mass at Tacloban Airport and the bad weather disturbance could not hinder the first ever mass of Pope Francis in Eastern Visayas.
According to Ambassador Marciano Paynor, member of the Papal Visit Executive Committee, noted earlier that bad weather may force the cancellation of Pope Francis’ visit to Leyte.
PAGASA also noted that Bagyong Amang is expected to dissipate by Monday, January 19, 2015.
