MANILA, April 14 — A low pressure area (LPA), the result of the tropical depression "Domeng's" weakening, spotted off Guiuan, Eastern Samar will continue to bring rains in many parts of the country on Holy Monday.
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) weather forecaster Jun Galang said the weather disturbance was projected to make landfall in Eastern Visayas by Tuesday morning.
Galang said after it hit land, the LPA may dissipate or if not, it will likely exit the country via the West Philippine Sea on Good Friday.
As of 4 a.m., the LPA was spotted some 140 km Northeast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar (11.6ºN, 127.0ºE).
Galang said the weather disturbance continues to move “very slowly” due to the presence of a ridge of high pressure area (HPA) over Luzon that is preventing the LPA from moving freely.
However, he noted that the LPA has a “slim chance” of re-intensifying to a tropical cyclone due to a strong vertical wind shear or winds from different directions that blow into the country, which continue sto interact with its circulation.
Galang said Bicol, Mimaropa, Eastern and Central Visayas regions and Mindanao will have cloudy skies with scattered light to moderate rains.
He said this weather condition is expected to prevail in these areas until Holy Tuesday.
By Holy Wednesday, he said the LPA will be in the vicinity of Palawan, bringing cloudy skies with light to moderate rains in these area, while a gradual improvement in the weather was expected over the Visayas at this time.
Meanwhile, Galang said that from Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday, the rest of Mindanao and Luzon, including Metro Manila will continue to have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with possible light passing rains mostly in the afternoon or evening.
The LPA, which was spotted over the Pacific Ocean last April 4, entered the country as a storm on April 6 and was named “Domeng.”
A day after it entered the Philippine territory or on April 7, it had been downgraded to a tropical depression category.
“Domeng," which was the first tropical cyclone to enter the country this month and the fourth this year, weakened back into an LPA last April 10.
In its advisory, PAGASA said that moderate to occasionally strong winds blowing from the northeast to northwest will prevail over the eastern sections of Luzon and Visayas and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to occasionally rough.
Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the northeast to northwest with slight to moderate seas. (PNA)
FPV/CLTC