The low-pressure area (LPA) being monitored east of the country now has a high chance of developing into a tropical cyclone within the next two days, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

PAGASA weather specialist Chenel Dominguez said the weather disturbance remains outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) but continues to show signs of intensification.

“Mayroon tayong mino-monitor na low-pressure area dito sa labas ng ating Philippine Area of Responsibility. Ito ay huling namataan sa layong 1,280 kilometers east ng Eastern Visayas (We are monitoring a low-pressure area outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility. It was last spotted 1,280 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas),” she said.

According the weather specialist, the system has a strong likelihood of becoming a tropical cyclone soon.

“Ngayon po ay mataas na ang tiyansa nito na maging ganap na bagyo within the next 24 to 48 hours (It now has a high chance of developing into a full-blown storm within the next 24 to 48 hours),” she said.

“At once pumasok na ng ating PAR bilang bagyo, papangalanan po natin itong Wilma (And once it enters PAR as a storm, we will name it Wilma).”

While initial models hint at a possible landfall, Dominguez underscored that the system’s projected path remains highly uncertain.

“Nakikita po natin sa ating forecast-track na posible po itong mag-landfall dito sa may Eastern Visayas o kaya dito sa may Caraga (Our forecast track shows it may possibly make landfall in Eastern Visayas or Caraga),” she said.

“Pero sa ngayon, mataas pa rin po ang uncertainty natin sa posibleng track po nito (But for now, there is still high uncertainty in its possible track),” she cautioned.

The weather specialist urged residents in the eastern section of the country to prepare for possible rains toward the end of the week.

“Pero ibayong pag-iingat na rin po para sa ating mga kababayan lalo na dito sa eastern section ng ating bansa… dahil inaasahan natin na as early as Friday, posible na tayong makaranas ng mga pag-ulan (We urge extra caution especially for residents in the eastern section of our country… because as early as Friday, rains may already be experienced),” he said.

Multiple weather systems are also affecting the country, Dominguez added.

“Sa ngayon, ITCZ ang umiiral dito sa may Southern Mindanao (Right now, the ITCZ is affecting Southern Mindanao),” he said.

“Pangalawang weather system natin ay ang northeast monsoon or amihan na umiiral naman dito sa may extreme Northern Luzon (Our second weather system is the northeast monsoon or amihan affecting extreme Northern Luzon),” he added.

For the rest of the country, PAGASA said brief rains and thunderstorms are still possible.

“Para naman sa nalalabing bahagi ng ating bansa, localized thunderstorm ang inaasahan natin na magdadala ng panandaliang buhos ng mga pag-ulan (For the rest of the country, localized thunderstorms are expected to bring short bursts of rainfall),” Dominguez said.