Pagasa weather satellite
MANILA, Philippines — A low pressure area spotted northeast of Batanes is now expected to slightly intensify into a tropical depression, and will further enhance the southwest monsoon affecting Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, the state weather bureau said.
The LPA, one of two weather disturbances being monitored by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), entered the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Wednesday and was last spotted some 550 kilometers northeast of Batanes.
It is expected to exit PAR by Thursday, but Pagasa nonetheless issued gale warnings as it will further enhance habagat or monsoon rains.
“Base sa analysis sa ikinikilos nito, yung LPA po ay posible na ding lumabas ng pagsapit po ng araw ng Thursday or bukas, subalit nandoon ‘yung tiyansa na ito ay maging isang mahinang bagyo or tropical depression habang lumalabas ng ating PAR,” weather specialist Benison Estareja said.
(Based on our analysis of its movement, the LPA may be out of PAR by Thursday or tomorrow, but there is still a chance that it may become a weak typhoon or a tropical depression while outside PAR.)
“Kahit ito’y maging nasa labas na, at maging bagyo doon sa southern islands ng Japan, possible pa din ito maghatak ng habagat,” Estareja added.
(Even if outside PAR, and may become a typhoon on the southern islands of Japan, the weather disturbance may still drag habagat.)
Pagasa said Metro Manila, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Cavite, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, northern Palawan including Calamian and Kalayaan Islands, Cordillera Administrative Region and Cagayan Valley will experience occasional rains while Ilocos Region, Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Zambales, and Bataan are expected to have monsoon rains.
The rest of the country will have a fair weather condition but there are still chances of isolated rain showers due to thunderstorms, according to Pagasa.
Gale warning was raised in Metro Manila, Bulacan Cavite, western coast of Batangas, Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Island, and Palawan including Kalayaan Islands which will have a rough to very rough sea condition with 2.8 to 4.5 meters of waves.