By Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA, (PNA) — The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Monday most parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, and the Visayas will experience cloudy skies with moderate rainshowers until Wednesday as the Low Pressure Area East of Luzon has developed into a Tropical Depression named “Odette”.
Odette is the first cyclone to affect the country this month and the 15th for this year.
Weather forecaster Samuel Duran said that as of 4 p.m., Odette was spotted at 930 km East of Casiguran, Aurora (17.2°N,132.1°E) packed with maximum sustained winds of 45 kms per hour near the center.
It was moving west northwest at 7 kph.
With this speed, Duran said Odette is expected to stay within the Philippine area of responsibility for the next three to four days.
“Kung magpapatuloy ito sa mabagal nitong pagkilos, inaasahan na lalabas ito ng PAR by weekend,” he noted.
PAGASA said Odette was forecast to be at 830 kms east of Tuguegarao City Tuesday afternoon.
By Wednesday afternoon, it is predicted to be at 680 kms east of Tuguegarao City and 530 kms east of Aparri, Cagayan on Thursday afternoon
Duran added Odette has small chance to make landfall but will move near extreme Northern Luzon.
He said no public storm warning signals was raised since the cyclone is still too far to directly affect the country.
However, Duran noted that it will continue to enhance thesouthwest monsoon that will bring rains to many parts of the country in the next few days.
“Hangga’t nasa loob ito ng PAR, patuloy nitong paiigtingin ang hanging habagat (southwest monsoon),” he explained.
Until Wednesday, Duran said Metro Manila as well as Central and Southern Luzon, particularly its western section, will continue to experience cloudy skies with intermittent light to heavy rains because of the effect of the southwest monsoon.
The rest of Luzon and Visayas will have cloudy skies with passing light to moderate rains.
Mindanao, on the other hand, he added will continue to have better weather condition with only partly cloudy to cloudy skies with possible thunderstorm rains in the afternoon or evening.
In its advisory, PAGASA said that Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Occidental Mindoro will experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rains and thunderstorms which may trigger flashfloods and landslides.
The rest of Luzon and Visayas will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms while Mindanao will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.
It added that moderate to strong winds blowing from the Southwest to South will prevail over Luzon and its coastal waters will be moderate to rough.
Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate from the southwest with slight to moderate seas.