LPA lingers, to bring rains in Mindanao, Visayas

MT Satellite image January 13, 2014, 6:32 a.m. Screengrab from https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/

MANILA, Philippines – Moderate to heavy rains are forecast in Mindanao and parts of Visayas due to a low pressure area, the weather bureau said on Monday.

Mindanao, Eastern and Central Visayas will experience cloudy skies with moderate to heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms which may trigger flashfloods and landslides, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.

The LPA, which entered the Philippine area of responsibility last Friday, was last observed over Surigao del Sur.

Weather forecasters are not discounting the possibility that the LPA will intensify into a tropical depression. If that happens, it will be locally named “Agaton.”

The northeast monsoon or “hanging amihan” continued to affect Northern and Central Luzon.

On Sunday, Metro Manila experienced 19.2 degrees Celsius at 6a.m., the coldest one this year. It was the same temperature last January 1.

“Bicol Region, Mimaropa and the rest of Visayas will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms,” Pagasa said.

Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will be cloudy with isolated light rains.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over Luzon and Visayas and coming from the northeast to northwest over Mindanao.

The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be moderate to rough.

Strong to gale force winds are expected to affect the seaboards of Northern Luzon, eastern seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon, the eastern seaboards of Visayas, Mindanao and Davao del Sur due to the surge of northeast monsoon.

Fishing boats and other small seacraft are advised not to venture out into the sea while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves, Pagasa said.