Gardo enters PAR, intensifies into severe tropical storm; Francisco exits

MANILA, Philippines – The tropical cyclone with the international name Higos entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility at 3 pm on Thursday, June 25, while Severe Tropical Storm Francisco (Mekkhala) left PAR at 7 pm.

Higos was given the local name Gardo, as the Philippines’ seventh tropical cyclone for 2026. It is also the third tropical cyclone for June.

Gardo entered PAR as a tropical storm, then intensified into a severe tropical storm at 8 pm. Its maximum sustained winds are at 95 kilometers per hour, with gustiness of up to 115 km/h.

As of 10 pm, Gardo was located 1,275 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon, moving north northwest at 30 km/h.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Gardo will stay far from landmass, and may already leave PAR by Friday morning or afternoon, June 26.

There are no rainfall or wind warnings due to Gardo. It will not affect the country.

Meanwhile, Francisco was already 705 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, as of 10 pm on Thursday.

The severe tropical storm is moving north northeast toward Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and the sea south of mainland Japan at 20 km/h.

It has maximum sustained winds of 95 km/h and gustiness of up to 115 km/h, but could weaken into a tropical storm on Friday. At its peak, Francisco was a super typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h.

Francisco did not make landfall in the country, although it did bring moderate to heavy rain and strong winds to parts of Northern Luzon. Signal No. 1 was the highest tropical cyclone wind signal raised.

As of Thursday evening, the southwest monsoon or habagat is the prevailing weather system in the country. It is affecting Luzon and the Visayas.

Here is PAGASA’s latest weather outlook for the southwest monsoon, covering the next 48 hours:

Thursday evening, June 25, to Friday evening, June 26

• Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 millimeters): Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro

Friday evening, June 26, to Saturday evening, June 27

• Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Zambales, Bataan

Aside from the provinces mentioned above, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, the Ilocos Region, the Cordillera Administrative Region, the rest of Cagayan Valley, the rest of Central Luzon, the rest of Mimaropa, and Western Visayas may experience scattered rain and thunderstorms because of the southwest monsoon.

The southwest monsoon could also cause isolated rain showers or thunderstorms in the rest of Luzon and the rest of the Visayas.

PAGASA added that the southwest monsoon is bringing strong to gale-force gusts to these areas:

Thursday, June 25

• most of Luzon, Panay Island, Negros Occidental

Friday, June 26

• most of Luzon

Saturday, June 27

• most of Luzon

In the next 24 hours, conditions in certain seaboards are expected to remain moderate to rough.

Up to rough seas (small vessels should not venture out to sea)

• Seaboard of Batanes – waves up to 3 meters high

Up to moderate seas (small vessels should take precautionary measures or avoid sailing, if possible)

• Northern and western seaboards of Babuyan Islands; northern seaboard of Ilocos Norte – waves up to 2.5 meters high
• Remaining seaboards of Babuyan Islands and Ilocos Norte; seaboards of mainland Cagayan, Isabela, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Zambales, Lubang Island, and Kalayaan Islands; western seaboards of Pangasinan, Bataan, and Batangas – waves up to 2 meters high

PAGASA had announced the start of the rainy season last June 4. – Rappler.com