Trough of LPA brings rains in Mindanao

MANILA -- The low pressure area (LPA) still outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) could bring flashflood and landslide in Mindanao, the state weather bureau said on Monday.

Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Forecaster Alvin Pura said that as of 4 a.m. the LPA was spotted at 1,120 kilometers (km) east of Southern Mindanao and expected to enter the PAR by Monday evening due to its slow movement.

Caraga, Davao, and Soccsksargen regions will experience cloudy skies with moderate to heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms which may trigger flashfloods and landslides due to the trough of the LPA or wind convergence, Pura added.

Eastern Visayas and the rest of Mindanao will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers or thunderstorms.

Pura said the LPA has a small chance of intensifying into a tropical depression but the agency continues to monitor its movement.

Should the LPA intensify into a cyclone, Pura said it will be named “Crising” – the third tropical cyclone to enter the country this year.

He said, however, that the LPA might dissipate due to interactions of the northeast monsoon.

Pura said the northeast monsoon continues to affect Luzon and Cagayan Valley. Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) and the provinces of Aurora and Quezon will be cloudy with light rains.

He added that Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

Pura said the temperature in Metro Manila is 20.6 degrees Celsius recorded at the Science Garden, Quezon City on Monday morning.

In its advisory, Pagasa said that moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail throughout the archipelago and coastal waters will be moderate to rough.

Pagasa said strong to gale force winds associated with the surge of the northeast monsoon may affect the northern and eastern seaboards of the country.

"Fishing boats and other small seacrafts are advised not to venture out into the sea while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves," it said. (PNA/Sunnex)