PAGASA monitors LPA amid fair weather over the country

A low-pressure area is being monitored outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) as fair weather is expected throughout the country, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Monday.

The LPA was last located 3,185 kilometers East of Eastern Visayas and has a high chance of developing into a tropical depression within the next 24 hours, PAGASA said in its 10:00 a.m. tropical cyclone outlook.

“The LPA is extremely far, so it is unlikely to affect the country’s weather conditions today,” Aldzcar D. Aurelio, PAGASA weather specialist, said during a 5:00 a.m. press briefing in Filipino.

Meanwhile, Mr. Aurelio said fair weather is expected throughout the country because the southwest monsoon that caused heavy rainfall in many areas over the past few weeks is not reaching the country, as a tropical cyclone around China is steering its direction.

“So, we are expecting that the weather will be nice and fair in Luzon, as well as in Visayas and Mindanao,” he said.

But PAGASA warned of possible thunderstorms in Batanes and Babuyan Islands in the next 24 hours due to the effects of Easterlies, it said in a separate 4:00 a.m. weather advisory.

Localized thunderstorms may also affect Metro Manila and the rest of the country, posing a risk of flash floods and landslides during severe thunderstorms.

As of this writing, PAGASA has not issued a heavy rainfall outlook in any part of the country. — Edg Adrian A. Eva