Signal No. 2 Raised Over Batanes, Parts of Babuyan Islands
Key Takeaways
- •Wind Signal No. 2 was raised over Batanes and parts of the Babuyan Islands on October 23, 2026, in connection with a tropical cyclone affecting or approaching the area.
- •Signal No. 2, the second-lowest tier of PAGASA's five-level warning system, indicates winds of 62 to 88 kilometers per hour are expected within at least 24 hours.
- •Classes at the kindergarten, elementary, and secondary levels are automatically suspended in localities placed under Signal No. 2.
- •Potential impacts include light-to-moderate damage to high-risk structures, damage to banana plants and flowering rice, blown-off nipa and cogon roofing, and minimal-to-moderate disruption to electricity and telecommunications services.
- •Seas in the affected waters are typically rough to very rough under gale-force winds, and authorities generally advise small sea craft and fishing boats not to venture out.
MANILA — Wind Signal No. 2 was raised over Batanes and parts of the Babuyan Islands, according to a report by BusinessWorld Online published on Friday, October 23, 2026, placing the country's northernmost island groups under a gale-force wind alert in connection with a tropical cyclone affecting or approaching the area.
Tropical cyclone wind signals are issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the state weather bureau under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Under the bureau's five-level warning system, Signal No. 2 — the second-lowest tier — indicates that winds of 62 to 88 kilometers per hour are expected within at least 24 hours, giving communities in the covered localities time to prepare.
PAGASA's guidance associates the second signal level with light-to-moderate damage to high-risk structures, damage to some crops — including banana plants and rice at the flowering stage — blown-off nipa and cogon roofing, and minimal-to-moderate disruption to electricity and telecommunications services. Under national school-suspension guidelines, classes at the kindergarten, elementary, and secondary levels are automatically suspended in localities placed under Signal No. 2.
Batanes, with Basco as its capital, is the northernmost province of the Philippines. The Babuyan Islands, which fall under the jurisdiction of Cagayan province, lie between the northern tip of Luzon and Batanes. When gale-force winds are in effect, seas in these waters are typically rough to very rough, and authorities generally advise small sea craft and fishing boats not to venture into open water.
Residents in affected areas are advised to monitor official PAGASA bulletins and local disaster risk reduction and management offices for updates on the tropical cyclone's position, strength, and any changes to wind signal levels, which may be raised, lowered, or lifted in subsequent advisories as the cyclone moves.
Source: BusinessWorld Online — "Signal No. 2 raised over Batanes, parts of Babuyan Islands"
