Pagasa monitoring another low pressure area off Mindanao

MTSAT ENHANCED-IR Satellite Image 4 a.m., 07 January 2013

Weather forecasters are closely monitoring a low pressure area (LPA) that could develop into a tropical cyclone and affect areas of Mindanao still reeling from the effects of two powerful storms last month.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) issued a special weather bulletin for Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental, alerting residents in the provinces to prepare for moderate to heavy (5 mm to 15 mm per hour) rains and thunderstorms.

Similar forecasts in other portions of Mindanao have prompted the weather bureau to warn residents of the possibility of flashfloods or landslides.

Forecaster Buddy Javier told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that as of 4 p.m. Sunday, the low pressure area was estimated at 510 km southeast of Mindanao.

He said there was a chance it could develop into a tropical cyclone as it was still over the ocean. Javier added that it was moving closer to Mindanao.

He pointed out that the special weather bulletin issued by Pagasa for Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental was in anticipation of the weather disturbance’s possible effect on Mindanao, where winds from the northeast are anticipated to be moderate to strong, with moderate to rough seas.

The weather outlook for Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental is  cloudy with occasional moderate to heavy (3 mm to 10 mm per hour) rains on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In its 5 p.m. forecast, Pagasa said the Visayas and Palawan are expected to have cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms. In the north, the Cagayan Valley will likely experience cloudy skies with light rains. Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will be partly cloudy with brief rainshowers or thunderstorms.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail throughout the country and coastal waters could be rough. Jeannette I. Andrade