LPA off Samar to bring rains – Pagasa

MANILA, Philippines - Prepare for rain in the next few days.

A low-pressure area spotted east of Catarman, Northern Samar yesterday is expected to bring rains in many parts of the country in the next few days, the state weather bureau said.

The low-pressure area also has a chance of intensifying into a tropical cyclone, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the low-pressure area was located some 570 kilometers east of Catarman.

Rene Paciente, chief of PAGASA’s marine meteorological services section, said the low-pressure area has started dumping light to moderate rains over eastern Visayas and northeastern Mindanao.

Light to moderate rains would start to affect the whole of the Visayas and the regions of Caraga, Davao and Bicol today.

Should the low-pressure area intensify into a cyclone, it would be given the local name Kabayan.

Despite the expected rains, PAGASA hydrologist Max Peralta said the Bureau of Soils and Water Management would continue to conduct cloud seeding over Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan, which supplies 97 percent of Metro Manila water needs.