Low-pressure area east of Mindanao may pull southwest monsoon

A low-pressure area east of Mindanao will bring rains in parts of the country, the state weather bureau said on Friday.

Cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and thunderstorms will be experienced over Bicol region, Mimaropa, Visayas and Mindanao, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.

The LPA, last observed 420 kilometers east of Surigao City, is embedded along the intertropical convergence zone.

Fernando Cada, weather forecaster, said the LPA could move toward the eastern part of Luzon by Sunday or Monday.

The LPA was also not likely to become a cyclone, but it could pull the hanging habagat or southwest monsoon which could officially start the rainy season.

“By next week, the rains could be monsoon rains and no longer thunderstorms,” he said by phone.

Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening will prevail over Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon on Saturday, Pagasa said.

Light to moderate winds blowing from the southeast to south will prevail over northern and Central Luzon and coming from the southwest to south over the rest of the country.

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