LPA may turn into cyclone, Pagasa warns

THE WEATHER bureau is monitoring a low pressure area that may affect the country toward the end of the week.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) is expected to announce Monday whether the LPA would develop into a tropical cyclone.

Should the LPA develop into a cyclone, it will be named “Lando,” the 12th cyclone to affect the country this year and the second this month.

In the meantime, for the first part of this week most of the country will have fair weather with isolated rain showers and thunderstorms, according to Pagasa.

Extreme northern Luzon, consisting of Batanes province and the Calayan and Babuyan islands, however, will continue to experience light-to-moderate rains due to the tail-end of a cold front that started to be felt over the weekend.

Pagasa said the rainy season ended on Oct. 7, with the end of the southwest monsoon.

The early onset of the northeast monsoon is expected this week.

The end of the rainy season came a week after Pagasa warned that this particularly strong El Niño episode would worsen in the coming months and that most of the country would have way-below normal rains from October to April.

By the end of October, 39 provinces are expected to suffer from insufficient rains. Dona Z. Pazzibugan