MANILA, Philippines — Signal No. 1 is up over several areas in Northern Luzon as Tropical Depression "Julian" maintains its strength, heading southward toward the Philippine Sea, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on Saturday.

As of 3 a.m. Saturday, Julian was estimated at 430 kilometers (kms) east of Calayan, Cagayan, or 410 kms east of Aparri, Cagayan, with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center, gustiness of up to 70 kph., and moving southward at 10 kph.

In its 5 a.m. bulletin, Pagasa said under Signal No. 1 were: Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, the northeastern portion of Isabela (San Pablo, Divilacan, Maconacon, Palanan, Cabagan, Santa Maria, Tumauini, Ilagan City, San Mariano, Santo Tomas, Delfin Albano), and the eastern portion of Apayao (Luna, Pudtol, Santa Marcela, Flora)

The weather bureau said the storm could intensify into a typhoon and could possibly hit Batanes by Monday.

"Based on the latest forecast track, Julian may possibly make landfall over Batanes by Monday afternoon or evening as a typhoon and may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Wednesday evening to Thursday early morning," Pagasa said.

It also said that the storm was expected to be along the waters of Batanes and Cagayan over the next five days.

"Julian is forecast to follow a looping path over the waters east of Batanes and Cagayan in the next five days. Within the next 12 hours, this tropical cyclone is forecast to move southwestward before turning westward this afternoon while decelerating," it said.

It will then move generally northwestward from Sunday until Tuesday before turning northward to north-northeastward for the remainder of the forecast period.

Rains with gusty winds are expected over Cagayan, including the Babuyan Islands.

Meanwhile, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Batanes, and Isabela will experience cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms due to the effects of Julian.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to localized thunderstorms.

The weather bureau is also monitoring another tropical storm with the international name "Jebi", which is 2,405 km east of Northern Luzon, with maximum sustained winds of 75 kph and gustiness of up to 90 kph. It is moving north northwestward at 20 kph.