Expect rains: LPA develops into tropical depression ‘Labuyo’

MTSAT ENHANCED-IR Satellite Image 8 a.m., 09 August 2013

MANILA, Philippines – A low pressure area (LPA) being monitored by the state weather bureau off Northern Samar has intensified into a tropical depression Friday and was named “Labuyo.”

“Labuyo,” the 12th cyclone for this year, was last observed 1,000 kilometers east of Catarman, Northern Samar, said Elvie Enriquez of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

It was moving west northwest at nine kilometers per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 46 kph.

The cyclone will bring moderate to heavy rains (5 to 15 mm per hour) within its 300 kilometer diameter, Pagasa said.

The weather bureau said “Labuyo”   was “too far to directly affect any part of the country.”

Meanwhile, an LPA off Palawan embedded along the intertropical convergence zone will bring rains over Southern Luzon including Metro Manila, Visayas and Northern Mindanao.

“Mimaropa (Mindoro Occidental and Oriental, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) and Eastern Visayas will experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms which may trigger flashfloods and landslides.” Pagasa said in its weather bulletin.

Metro Manila, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Bicol Region, Western and Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao and Caraga will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms, it added.

The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

“Light to moderate winds blowing from the Northeast to Northwest will prevail over Luzon and Visayas and coming from northwest to southwest over Mindanao. The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be slight to moderate,” Pagasa also said.