New LPA outside PAR may become December’s first tropical cyclone

MANILA, Philippines – A cloud cluster outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) developed into a low pressure area (LPA) at 2 pm on Monday, December 1.

As of 3 pm, the LPA was located 1,435 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas, still outside PAR and not yet affecting any part of the country.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Monday afternoon that the LPA has a medium chance of becoming a tropical depression within 24 hours.

PAGASA expects one or two tropical cyclones to form within or enter PAR in December. The next two local tropical cyclone names are Wilma and Yasmin.

The weather bureau’s forecast shows the LPA, or potential tropical cyclone Wilma, could enter PAR on Wednesday, December 3, then cross the Caraga-Visayas-Southern Luzon area during the latter part of the week. Updates are expected in the coming days.

For now, the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is bringing scattered rain and thunderstorms to Mindanao and Eastern Visayas on Monday evening. Flash floods and landslides are possible.

The ITCZ is a belt near the equator where the trade winds of the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere meet.

The rest of the country will only have isolated rain on Monday evening, due to different systems. The northeast monsoon or amihan is affecting Batanes, localized thunderstorms are affecting remaining areas in the Visayas and Palawan, and the easterlies or warm winds from the Pacific Ocean are affecting the rest of Luzon. – Rappler.com