A TROPICAL depression outside the Philippine area of responsibility weakened yesterday into a low pressure area (LPA) but may later re-intensify, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services (PAGASA) said.
PAGASA weather specialist Grace Castañeda said the LPA was some 1,620 km east of southeastern Mindanao as of 4 a.m. yesterday.
“It’s possible it will redevelop into a tropical depression in the coming days and will enter our area of responsibility tomorrow (Wednesday) night or early Thursday,” she said.
Whether it redevelops into tropical depression or remains an LPA, the weather disturbance will head toward the eastern portion of Mindanao, she added.
Castañeda said the weather disturbance is expected to bring rains to the eastern part of the Visayas and Mindanao.
PAGASA, in a 5 a.m. advisory, said the LPA was forecast “to move erratically and may meander near or around its present location in the next 24 hours as it remains highly disorganized.”
“Afterwards, a slight improvement in the environmental conditions will
allow this disturbance to reorganize and re-develop into a tropical depression,” PAGASA said.
If the LPA redevelops into a tropical depression and enters the PAR, it will be named “Kabayan” and will become the country’s 11th tropical cyclone for the year.
PAGASA said the weather system will continue to move westward until Friday and will turn northwestward during the weekend.
“Regardless of its development trend, the interaction between this disturbance and a possible shear line related to the forecast surge of the northeast monsoon may result in heavy rainfall over the eastern portion of Mindanao beginning on Friday and over the Bicol region and most of Visayas (especially the eastern portion) beginning on Saturday,” PAGASA said.
The LPA, which intensified into a tropical depression last Monday, was earlier forecast to be in the vicinity Pinanag-an, Eastern Samar on Saturday.
