world
Severe Tropical Storm Francisco Downgraded, Exits Philippine Area Thursday
Francisco weakened from typhoon status at 2 a.m. Thursday and is moving away from the Philippines without landfall. PAGASA reported the storm's position, winds, and effects on northern areas while tracking an approaching second system.
RapplerAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
Severe Tropical Storm Francisco was downgraded from typhoon status at 2 a.m. on Thursday, June 25, 2026, while moving out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility. , the storm was located 415 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, and traveling north-northeast at 15 km/h, according to PAGASA.
It reached peak intensity of 185 km/h winds as a super typhoon before weakening began on Tuesday. Francisco did not make landfall in the Philippines and is heading toward Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and the sea south of mainland Japan. It is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Thursday afternoon or evening.
The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 100 km/h with gusts up to 125 km/h, and PAGASA forecasts it will weaken further into a tropical storm on Friday. Batanes remains under Signal No. 1, with scattered rain and thunderstorms possible in Batanes and the Babuyan Islands on Thursday.
The southwest monsoon is affecting Luzon and the Visayas, bringing moderate to heavy rain of 50-100 mm to Zambales, Bataan, and Occidental Mindoro through Saturday. Strong to gale-force gusts are forecast across most of Luzon and parts of the Visayas on Thursday, with waves up to 3.5 meters on the northern and eastern seaboards of Batanes.
Francisco is the sixth tropical cyclone to affect the Philippines in 2026 and the second in June.
Tropical Storm Higos, located 1,750 kilometers east of Central Luzon as of 3 a.m. Thursday, is moving west-northwest at 20 km/h with winds of 75 km/h. Higos is projected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Thursday evening or early Friday and will be named Gardo locally.
