MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on Saturday that tropical storm "Kong-Rey" has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) at 7:30 p.m. and has been given the name "Leon."
Leon has maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center, with gusts of up to 80 kph and central pressure of 996 hectoPascals (hPa) and has strong to gale-force winds that extend outwards up to 630 km from the center.
As of 10 p.m. on Saturday, "Leon" is 1,355 km east of Central Luzon and is moving westward at 25 kph.
The previous severe tropical storm "Kristine" (Trami), which left the PAR on Friday, is now 1,010 km west of Central Luzon and is also moving west at 15 kph.
Its strong winds and heavy rains left over 80 people dead and millions of pesos worth of crop and infrastructure damage.
The state weather bureau urged the public to monitor updates on "Leon," especially severe weather bulletins.