New storm could head for Luzon – US center

MANILA, Philippines – Another potential storm is brewing in the Pacific – and its target could be Luzon.

The US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is forecasting that a tropical depression in the western Pacific Ocean could intensify into a storm and could hit the country early next week.

Tropical Depression 15W was last located just east of Yap island in Micronesia, the JTWC said in its latest forecast issued early Thursday, September 11.

It is currently carrying winds of 25 knots (46 km/h) with gusts of up to 35 knots (65 km/h), the bulletin said.

JTWC’s forecast showed the weather system intensifying in the coming days, and has the potential of becoming a strong storm. The forecast shows the storm hitting northern Luzon by Sunday, September 14.

Weather Philippines, an independent weather organization, said that the weather system is slowly moving west-northwest slowly, and is currently bringing scattered rainshowers across parts of western Micronesia, the Marianas, Yap, and Palau.

Weather Philippines said the system has a low chance of becoming a significant tropical cyclone at the next 24 hours.

So far, it is only the JTWC that has issued a bulletin. State weather bureau PAGASA has not yet issued any bulletin on the weather system, as it is still very far from the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), which is a regional weather center for the western Pacific, also has not issued any bulletin on the system.

If it indeed develops into a storm, PAGASA will name it “Luis” based on the current naming list.

Meanwhile, the trough of a low pressure area is affecting weather in western Luzon Thursday, PAGASA said in its early morning forecast Thursday.

Zambales and Bataan are expected to have cloudy skies with light to moderate rain and thunderstorms.

The rest of the country is forecast to have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain later in the day. – Rappler.com