Typhoon Verbena (Koto) intensified from a severe tropical storm into a typhoon over waters north of Kalayaan Islands, outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility, on Thursday morning, November 27. PAGASA reported its maximum sustained winds at 140 km/h. It continues to impact Kalayaan Islands with heavy rain and strong winds.
On November 27, 2025, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) issued a bulletin at 11 a.m. regarding Verbena. The typhoon was last spotted 255 kilometers north of Pag-asa Island, Kalayaan, Palawan, at 10 a.m., moving west northwest at 15 km/h. It exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) at 12:50 a.m. on Thursday.
Verbena continues to bring moderate to heavy rain, at times intense, to Kalayaan Islands. Signal No. 1 remains hoisted there due to strong winds. The highest signal when inside PAR was Signal No. 2.
The northeast monsoon or amihan, combined with Verbena, is causing gusty conditions in areas including Batanes, Cagayan, Apayao, Abra, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, and Palawan on November 27. Sea conditions are hazardous, with waves up to 7 meters on Kalayaan Islands' seaboards, and up to 5.5 meters in Batanes and others.
This is the Philippines' 22nd tropical cyclone of 2025, and the third for November, following Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi) and Super Typhoon Uwan (Fung-wong). It is projected to slightly weaken over the next 48 hours, possibly downgraded to a severe tropical storm by Friday evening or Saturday, but could re-intensify briefly into a typhoon over the weekend before a sustained weakening.
Verbena made landfall in the country seven times: the first six as a tropical depression, and the seventh as a tropical storm, including in Bayabas, Surigao del Sur on November 24 and Linapacan, Palawan on November 25.
Meanwhile, the shear line affects the eastern portion of Northern Luzon, bringing heavy to intense rain to Cagayan (100-200 mm) from Thursday noon to Friday noon. Flash floods and landslides remain possible. The northeast monsoon causes rain in the rest of Northern Luzon.