The weather bureau on Thursday advised Filipinos planning to go home to celebrate All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day to stay where they are and avoid any kinds of travel after its forecasters expected Typhoon "Santi" to make direct landfall over Metro Manila on Saturday.

“It would be better if they will not take any kinds of travel to their respective provinces because they could get stranded due to the incoming typhoon,” Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) administrator Prisco Nilo said.

Prisco issued the advisory after PAGASA weather forecasters expected deteriorating weather conditions to prevail over still flooded areas in Metro Manila and nearby provinces in Central and Southern Luzon starting Friday as the initial effect of Typhoon “Santi.”

PAGASA deputy director Nathaniel Cruz said the eye of Typhoon “Santi” was spotted at about 890 kilometers east of Casiguran, Aurora, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph while moving westward at 24 kph as of 11 a.m. Thursday.

Cruz noted that the Typhoon “Santi” could intensify further into a stronger one, reaching strength of having maximum sustained winds of 185 kph near the center and a gustiness of more than 200 kph as it approaches and dart through Luzon this coming Saturday until Sunday.

But he clarified that “Santi” can be considered as a “well-behaved storm,” comparing the typhoon to previous severe weather disturbances like “Pepeng” and “Ramil,” which baffled local and international weather agencies with their “unusually erratic and abnormal” behavior.

“Santi” is slowly moving towards East Luzon. By Friday, stormy weather can be expected in eastern side of Luzon including Bicol Region then later on affect Metro Manila, Cruz said.

He added that 'Santi” was also expected to dart fury on Saturday with heavy rains amounting 10 to 15 mm of rainfall with forceful winds in the province of Aurora, and across southern part of North Luzon, as well as the entire Central and Southern Luzon including Metro Manila for 12 hours.

Cruz also said that the typhoon will exit through Pangasinan province by Sunday.

Meanwhile, Nilo explained that the ridge of High Pressure Area (HPA) in Southern China has been controlling “Santi” since it entered the Philippine area of responsibility on Wednesday night, steering the typhoon to move southwestward and preventing it from going north.

He added that rainband of “Santi” can reach 200 kilometers in diameter, which means that it can inundate areas as far as Mountain Province in northern Luzon to Mindoro Island in Southern Luzon.

Nilo also said that the possibility of raising Storm Signal No. 4 in Metro Manila is not far fetched because “Santi” will directly pass the area, in addition to the pushing effect of HPA.

Nilo said there is 30 percent probability that “Santi” will directly hit Metro Manila.

Meanwhile, Nilo advised travellers to postpone their trip, particularly those travelling by sea, because of inclement weather and rough sea conditions Friday until the weekend.

“My advice is it is very dangerous to travel especially those going to Visayas and Mindanao, they may want to postpone it,” he suggested.

The Pagasa advised disaster officials particularly in Nueva Viscaya, Nueva Ecija, Quirino, Pampanga, Tarlac, Quezon, Laguna, Bulacan, Zambales, and Pampanga to be ready of possible flashfloods, landslides and storm surges.

Storm Signal No. 2 is raised over Polillo Island while Isabela, Ifugao, Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Viscaya, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Rizal, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes were placed under Storm Signal No. 1.