MANILA, Philippines — Tropical Depression "Gorio" left the Philippines on Wednesday afternoon, just hours after it developed from being a low pressure area.
It was perhaps the fastest to exit the country's jurisdiction out of the seven storms the Philippines has seen so far this year.
Weather bureau PAGASA said Gorio became a tropical depression at 8 a.m. Wednesday. By 4 p.m., it was already out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility.
The tropical depression was last seen at 800 kilometers northeast of extreme northern Luzon.
It slightly intensified and now packs 55 kilometers per hour peak winds, and gusts of up to 70 kph. Gorio now moves northeast at a speed of 15 kph.
"On the forecast track, Gorio will move northeastward towards southern Japan," the agency said, "then after 24 hours, it will turn more east northeastward moving further away from PAR."
PAGASA said Gorio is still forecast to intensify into a tropical storm in the next 12 hours. But it will now be the southwest monsoon affecting parts of the country.
State weather forecasters said the habagat will bring monsoon rains in the next 24 hours over Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Zambales and Bataan.
"Occasionally gusty conditions associated with the enhanced southwest monsoon will be experienced over the northern and western Luzon," PAGASA added, "especially in the coastal and upland localities of these areas."
The habagat is also seen to bring rough to very rough seas over the seaboards of northern and western Luzon in the next 24 hours.
PAGASA said sea travel remains risky for small seacrafts in these waters. Moderate to rough seas, meanwhile, will prevail over the remaining seaboards of the country.
While Gorio has left, the weather bureau is also monitoring an active tropical storm outside PAR.
Named "Lupit," it was last seen at 655 km west of extreme northern Luzon. It carries 65 kph peak winds and gusts of up to 80 kph, and moves northeastward at a speed of 10 kph.
Weather specialist Joey Figuracion said there remains a low chance for the storm to enter the country.
On Thursday, PAGASA said cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms would prevail in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Cavite, as well as Batangas, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, and the rest of Cagayan Valley.
The rest of the country, the agency added, would see partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms still from the habagat.