Low pressure area over Eastern Mindanao; residents warned on rains, floods, landslides

MANILA, Philippines—A new low pressure area (LPA) has formed off the coast of Eastern Mindanao, promising occasionally heavy rains and prompting the weather bureau to issue flood warnings in the major rivers and streams in the region.

As of 8 am Sunday, the weather disturbance was seen 410 kilometers east southeast of General Santos City, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

Pagasa said it was unlikely that the LPA would strengthen into a tropical depression as models showed that the system was “disorganized.” The weather bureau also noted that no tropical cyclone was seen within the country’s boundary.

Although the LPA would not enhance into a cyclone, Pagasa still warned that it could bring downpour that could trigger landslides and flash floods in a region that has been under rains in the past weeks.

Those provinces in eastern and southern Mindanao, from the Surigao provinces to Saranggani, might experience downpours from the LPA in the next few days, the weather agency said.

Pagasa’s hydrometeorology division has issued flood advisories in Region 13 and Region 12, saying the rivers and streams in the provinces could swell up from the LPA’s rains.

In its 8 am advisory on Sunday, Pagasa said 14.8 mm – 22 mm of rains have been observed in parts of Surigao during an 18-hour period that ended at 2 am of January1. Forecast rainfall in the affected provinces would be “moderate to occasionally heavy in the next 24 hours,” Pagasa said.

Local disaster risk and management councils were advised to take necessary measures to warn communities in low-lying areas and near river banks.

Meanwhile, Pagasa said Central and Eastern Visayas would see cloudy skies and scattered rainshowers due to the wind convergence. Luzon would be generally clear because of the dominance of the northeast monsoon, the advisory said.