Tropical Storm Gorio intensified into a severe tropical storm Thursday afternoon as it moves towards Batanes Province, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration ( Pagasa) said on Thursday.

As of 4 pm, weather forecaster Loriedin dela Cruz said Gorio was last spotted at 595km east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal Number one was raised over Batanes.

Gorio has maximum sustained winds of 90 kph and gusts of up to 115 kph. It is forecast to move northwest at 13 kph.

Dela Cruz, in a press conference, said Gorio will continue enhancing the southwest monsoon which will bring moderate to occasionally heavy rains over western section of Luzon, including Metro Manila.

Light to moderate rains are expected over the rest of Luzon and Visayas.

She said rain will be intermittent until the weekend.

"( It’s) possible, raining from morning until afternoon. It will stop and it will rain in the evening. That's the possible scenario," she explained.

She said the weather bureau does not expect to raise warning signals in other provinces for the next 24 hours but advised people in affected areas to watch for flashfloods and landslides.

Gorio is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Sunday evening or early Monday morning.

Rains spawned by the southwest monsoon enhanced by Gorio forced Malacanang to suspend work in government offices and classes in public schools on Thursday noon.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said floods in roads in Quirino avenue corner Taft avenue, Quirino to Ayala, NBI Taft avenue, Maria Orosa St. Kalaw, Ermita Manila and A. Bonifacio Avenue before 11th avenue in Quezon City were gutter deep.

Floods of up to two feet were seen in Rizal Avenue corner of R. Papa at 10:30 am, subsiding.at 2:33 pm, MMDA said. Ella Dionisio, Alanna Ambi/DMS