The tropical depression east of Northern Luzon may enter the country’s area of responsibility between Wednesday evening, Sept. 7, and Thursday morning, Sept. 8, and will be named “Inday,” the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

In its 5 a.m. bulletin on Wednesday, PAGASA located the tropical depression at around 1,525 kilometers (km) east of extreme Northern Luzon or 1,550 km east of Northern Luzon.

It has maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 70 kph, and was moving south at 20 kph.

PAGASA weather specialist Grace Castañeda said the tropical depression will likely enter the Philippine area of responsibility but may not have a direct effect on the country in the next few days.

“Based on the current forecast scenario, this tropical cyclone is unlikely to directly bring heavy rainfall and severe winds in the country,” she said.

“However, it may case moderate to rough seas over the seaboards of extreme Northern Luzon during the weekend. Such condition may be risky for those using small seacrafts. Mariners are advised to continue monitoring for updates,” she added.

In the next 24 hours, Castañeda said the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) will be the dominant weather system, as the southwest monsoon or “habagat” has temporarily weakened.

Cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms may affect Palawan, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

PAGASA warned of moderate to, at times, heavy rains as it may trigger flash or landslides in these areas.

Meanwhile, the rest of the country, including Metro Manila, will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to the ITCZ and localized thunderstorms.

PAGASA advised the public to stay vigilant as flash floods or landslides may occur during severe thunderstorms, which are often accompanied by sudden heavy rains, lightning, thunder, gusty winds, and sometimes hail.