MANILA, Philippines ? Tropical storm Miriane, spotted Tuesday morning over the Marianas Islands, is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility on Thursday, the weather bureau said.

Spotted 2,200 km east northeast of the Visayas as of Tuesday noon, Mirinae will be locally named ?Santi? once it enters the country, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Tuesday.

It is moving northwestward at 26 kilometers per hour, packing maximum winds of 65 kph with gustiness of up to 80 kph. If it sustains its current speed, Santi will enter the Philippines on Thursday morning, forecaster Chris Perez said.

In the meantime, Pagasa said parts of Mindanao will experience scattered rain showers and thunderstorms because of inter-tropical convergence zone.