Manila: Tropical Storm (TS) Higos is forecast to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Thursday and will be given the local name Gardo, the weather bureau said. Higos was located 2,120 km east of Central Luzon as of 10 a.m. on Wednesday. It is moving west-northwest at 20 kilometers per hour (kph). The TS has maximum sustained winds of 65 kph near the center and gusts up to 80 kph.

According to Philippines News Agency, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that Higos will remain far from landmass and is not expected to directly affect the weather and sea conditions. It is also forecast to remain as a tropical storm, but intensification into a severe tropical storm is not ruled out.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Francisco continues to weaken, packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kph near the center, and gustiness of up to 170 kph. Francisco was last tracked 295 km east northeast of Basco, Batanes, moving northward at 10 kph. Strong winds will prevail in areas where signal no. 1 is hoisted: Batanes and the northeastern portion of Cagayan (Gonzaga, Santa Ana), including Babuyan Islands.

Francisco's periphery and the southwest monsoon (habagat) are also causing strong to gale-force gusts across the Visayas, most of Luzon, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, Camiguin, Dinagat Islands, Davao Occidental, and Davao Oriental. PAGASA said that Francisco is causing heavy rains across Batanes and Cagayan, while Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, and Antique will also experience heavy rainfall due to habagat. A gale warning is still in effect over the northern and eastern seaboards of Northern Luzon, it added.