Low pressure area spotted near Palawan; signal 1 hoisted over 6 areas
MTSAT ENHANCED-IR Satellite Image 4:32 a.m., 20 February 2013
MANILA, Philippines—A new low pressure area near Palawan was spotted even as tropical depression Crising moved over Sulu Sea, the state weather bureau said Wednesday.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) hoisted Signal No. 1 (winds with 45 to 60 kilometers per hour) over southern Palawan and lowered signals in 16 of the 21 Mindanao provinces where it had hoisted the storm alert.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) only five provinces in Mindanao are under signal 1:
— Zamboanga del Norte
— Zamboanga del Sur
— Zamboanga Sibugay
— Basilan
— Sulu
The new low pressure area monitored by Pagasa was spotted 220 km northwest of Puerto Princesa City.
The center of the tropical depression was estimated at 140 km northwest of Zamboanga City with maximum winds of 45kph near its center. It was moving west northwest at 24 kph.
According to Pagasa’s 5 a.m. forecast on Wednesday. Southern Palawan, Zamboanga Peninsula and the
provinces of Basilan and Sulu will experience rains and gusty winds with moderate to rough seas. Bicol Region, the Visayas and the rest of Palawan and Mindanao will have cloudy skies with moderate to heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms, which may trigger flashfloods and landslides.
The provinces of Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon will be cloudy with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms, Pagasa added, while Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will have partly cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.
Moderate to heavy rains were seen within the 300 km of Crising, while residents living in low lying and mountainous areas under Signal No. 1 were alerted by Pagasa against possible flashfloods and landslides.
Fishing boats and other small seacraft were also advised not to venture out into the Northern, Eastern and Southern seaboards of Luzon, the Central and Eastern seaboards of Visayas and Eastern seaboard of Mindanao.—Rick Alberto and Frances Mangosing
