Approaching LPA could mean rainy Holy Week

A low pressure area (LPA) east of the country is expected to intensify into a cyclone and will likely enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) by Monday.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) forecaster Chris Perez said the LPA was tracked 2,160 kilometers east of Mindanao early Saturday. “It has no direct effect yet over the country but it could enter PAR within two to three days or likely by Monday,” Perez said.

Once it strengthens into a tropical depression, it will be named “Caloy.”

Perez said the LPA forecast track “shows it may not make landfall in any part of the country and just move across the Philippine Sea.”

“However, we will issue necessary travel warnings once the cyclone moves closer to the country’s area of responsibility,” he said, as many Filipinos travel to the provinces for the Holy Week break. This Sunday, the northeast monsoon or amihan will continue to blow over Northern and Central Luzon, while the tail-end of cold front will affect the eastern section of Southern Luzon and Eastern Visayas.

By Monday, the LPA will likely become a tropical depression, but the easterlies is expected to prevail across the archipelago.

PAGASA said partly cloudy to cloudy skies with passing light rains will affect extreme Northern Luzon and eastern part of Cagayan Valley, while partly cloudy to cloudy periods with scattered showers and thunderstorms will prevail across the Bicol region, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be partly cloudy with isolated rains and thunderstorms.