Monsoon trough to bring rain; LPA spotted in West Philippine Sea

MANILA, Philippines — A monsoon trough will continue to bring rains over Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon until tomorrow, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said yesterday.

Also, a low-pressure area was spotted in the West Philippine Sea, outside the Philippine area of responsibility.

As of 3 p.m. yesterday, the weather system was located 680 kilometers west of Laoag, Ilocos Norte and is expected to develop into a tropical cyclone.

It was forecast to move toward the southern portion of China and northern part of Vietnam, away from the Philippines, PAGASA weather forecaster Ariel Rojas said.

What will affect the country, Rojas said, is the monsoon trough which is part of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) where low-pressure areas usually develop.

He said cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms would prevail over Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, the Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi until today.

Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms will prevail over the rest of Mindanao, he said.

In an earlier forecast yesterday, PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja warned of sudden thunderstorms that may cause flooding in Metro Manila.

Estareja said one to three tropical cyclones are likely to enter or develop inside the Philippine area of responsibility this month.

PAGASA officially declared the start of the rainy season in the western section of the country, including Metro Manila, last June 4.