Cloudy skies with rain showers and thunderstorms persist in Visayas and Mindanao due to a low pressure area (LPA) embedded along the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Thursday, April 7.
“Ang LPA na ito ay patuloy na magdudulot ng kalat-kalat na pag-ulan d’yan sa bahagi ng Visayas at Mindanao, maging sa malaking bahagi ng southern Luzon partikular na sa Bicol Region, MIMAROPA, at maging sa lalawigan ng Quezon (This LPA will continue to bring scattered rains in Visayas and Mindanao, as well as most parts of southern Luzon particularly in the Bicol Region, MIMAROPA, and even in the province of Quezon),” said PAGASA weather specialist Grace Castañeda in a public weather forecast.
The LPA was last spotted 130 kilometers (km) east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. It remains less likely to develop into a tropical cyclone in the next 24 hours, but the state weather bureau said that it will continue monitoring the said weather disturbance.
Residents of areas affected by the LPA and ITCZ were warned against possible flash floods and landslides that may occur during moderate to at times heavy rain showers.
Moreover, in the next 24 hours, the northeasterly surface windflow may bring partly cloudy to cloudy skies with rains in Cagayan Valley, Apayao, Kalinga, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Aurora, Ilocos Region, Abra, and Benguet.
Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, on the other hand, may experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers due to localized thunderstorms.
Meanwhile, the LPA spotted outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) developed into a tropical depression at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, April 6. As of 3 a.m. on Thursday, April 7, it was located 2,435 km east of Mindanao with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness up to 70 kph. It is moving west-northwestward at 10 kph.
“Continuous monitoring po tayo sa tropical depression na ito at nakikita po natin ‘yung posibilidad na papasok po ito sa PAR maaaring by Monday . Nakikita rin po natin ang posibilidad na magdulot ito ng pag-ulan dito sa bahagi ng Visayas maging sa ilang bahagi ng southern Luzon (We are continuously monitoring this tropical depression and we see the possibility that it will enter PAR by Monday, April 11. We also see the possibility that it will bring rain showers in parts of the Visayas as well as some parts of southern Luzon),” said Castañeda.