Potential typhoon closely monitored by weather bureau

The weather bureau is closely monitoring a low pressure area (LPA) somewhere east of Eastern Visayas that is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Monday.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Admnistration (Pagasa) forecasters said that as of 4 p.m. Sunday, the potential tropical cyclone was estimated at 1,120 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar but remains outside the PAR.

Forecaster Meno Mendoza said he expects the LPA to be well within the country’s area of responsibility before it intensifies into a tropical depression, which will be named “Ester.”

“An LPA near Surigao City, which dissipated Sunday afternoon, has virtually become an extension of the approaching LPA and will still bring rains over the Visayas,” Mendoza said.

According to Pagasa’s forecast for Monday, Eastern Visayas will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms, while Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening.

Moderate to occasionally strong winds will prevail over the eastern sections of Central and Southern Luzon and over the Eastern Visayas where coastal waters will be moderate to occasionally rough.

Elsewhere, light to moderate winds will prevail over the rest of the Visayas, Luzon and Mindanao with slight to moderate seas.