LPA east of Mindanao to bring rains

MTSAT ENHANCED-IR Satellite Image 2a.m., 11 September 2012

An active low pressure area (LPA), spotted east of Mindanao, is expected to dump rains over the region as well as portions of Luzon and the Visayas,  prompting the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) to issue warnings against possible flashfloods and landslides in these areas.

The weather bureau said the LPA was estimated at around 2 p.m. Monday to be 920 kilometers east of Mindanao. The LPA is embedded along the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in effect over the Visayas and Mindanao.

In its 5 p.m. forecast, Pagasa said the LPA would bring cloudy skies and scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms over southern Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, becoming widespread over Eastern Visayas and northeastern Mindanao which could trigger flashfloods and landslides.

An earlier advisory had warned of moderate to heavy rainfall (2.5 mm to 10 mm per hour) over Lanao del Norte, as well as the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental.

The rest of the country, including Metro Manila, will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms, mostly in the afternoon and evening.

Forecaster Bernie de Leon told the Philippine Daily Inquirer the ITCZ, also the meteorological equator, is where most LPAs form because of the low atmospheric pressure within its oscillating axis, which is currently crossing the Visayas.

De Leon said it was normal for LPAs to be embedded in the ITCZ. He pointed out that once cloud formations of the ITCZ start to circulate they develop into LPAs.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the southeast will prevail over northern Luzon and its coastal waters will be moderate to rough. Winds over the rest of Luzon will be light to moderate coming from the southwest to southeast while light to moderate winds blowing from the southwest will prevail over the Visayas and Mindanao. Coastal waters along these areas will be slight to moderate.

As this developed,  the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) has started cloud-seeding operations over farming communities affected by dry spells in Bohol.