Storm brewing in South

A LOW PRESSURE area over Mindanao threatens to develop into a tropical cyclone, the weather bureau said yesterday.

As of Saturday morning, the LPA embedded in the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) was predicted to bring heavy rains over large swaths of the Visayas and Mindanao, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

Forecasters warned of possible flash floods and landslides in the Visayas and the Zamboanga peninsula, northern Mindanao, Caraga and Davao.

At 4 a.m. yesterday, the LPA was spotted 250 kilometers east of Davao City, Pagasa said in a bulletin.

Forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said the weather disturbance was likely to move in a northwesterly direction, heading for the eastern parts of the Visayas and Mindanao.

Since it was still over the sea, there was a possibility the LPA would turn into a tropical cyclone, which would make it the 10th to enter the Philippine area of responsibility, Aurelio said. It would then be named “Jolina.”

Pagasa’s weather outlook for Sunday is cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms in Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), Bicol and the rest of Mindanao.

Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.