A gathering storm in the Pacific is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility over the weekend, the weather bureau warned.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said it expects the approaching tropical depression to intensify further by the time it reaches the country’s borders.
The cyclone will be locally named “Helen,” the eighth cyclone to hit the country this year.
As of Thursday night, the cyclone bore maximum sustained winds of at least 55 kilometers per hour which classified it as a tropical depression.
It was spotted around 1,645 kilometers east of Mindanao, but bearing fast as it moved westwards at 35 kph.
If it maintains its track, it is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility over the weekend towards northern Luzon.
Due to the incoming cyclone, Pagasa said the weather disturbance is expected to bring light to moderate rains and thunderstorms over southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao on Sunday and Monday.
The weather disturbance was spotted east southest of Guam on Wednesday night. It will be given an international name once it intensifies into tropical storm strength.
Meanwhile, nights will be longer beginning Friday with the annual change in the season.
Pagasa said the autumnal equinox will occur at 10:21 p.m. Thursday, when day and night will have the same durations.
Afterwards, Philippine nights will be a few minutes longer lthan day, as the sun moves below the celestial equator towards the southern hemisphere.
The September autumnal equinox signals that winter is approaching in the northern hemisphere while summer is approaching in the south.
For countries within the equatorial region like the Philippines which only have the wet and dry seasons, the onset of the autumnal equinox is felt through longer nights.
The other annual equinox, called vernal equinox, occurs in March and signals the start of spring in the northern hemisphere and of autumn in the southern hemisphere.