Tropical cyclone “Vinta” which intensified into a severe tropical storm last night made landfall over Cateel, Davao Oriental at 1:45 a.m. Friday, while Storm Signal No. 2 might be hoisted over Bohol within the day.
Leonard Samar of PAGASA Bohol said Thursday night that the storm’s center will be nearest to Bohol at 5 p.m. Friday while it moves westward from 65 km west northwest of El Salvador City in Misamis Oriental.
“In this time, the center of the storm will be nearest to southern Bohol including Tagbilaran,” said Samar in Cebuano. “Starting 1 in the afternoon until 5 p.m., it will be the most critical for Bohol.”
In a bulletin issued at 5 a.m. Friday, PAGASA said Vinta is already in the vicinity of Boston, Davao Oriental.
The storm maintained its strength as it hit land with maximum sustained winds of 90 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 125 kph.
Samar initially said that Bohol will be less than 100 km away from Vinta and well within the storm’s 200-km radius at around 5 p.m. Friday.
However, PAGASA’s latest forecast track indicated a change in the storm’s movement slightly moving away from the province.
Storm Signal Number 1 remained raised over Bohol, according to PAGASA’s 5 a.m. bulletin.
Meanwhile, sea trips from all Bohol ports were still suspended as of 7:30 a.m. Friday.