LPA trough to trigger rain in parts of Mindanao

What’s the weather like in your area? Report the situation through Rappler’s Agos or tweet us at @rapplerdotcom.

MANILA, Philippines – A shallow low pressure area (LPA) formed below the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Tuesday afternoon, January 29.

In a briefing at 5 pm on Tuesday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the LPA is located 630 kilometers southeast of Mindanao.

The good news – this LPA is expected to dissipate in the next 12 to 24 hours.

But in the meantime, the trough or extension of the LPA will bring scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms to Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, South Cotabato, and Davao Occidental.

The rainshowers will range from light to heavy, so those areas should be on alert for possible flash floods and landslides.

Meanwhile, the northeast monsoon or hanging amihan will affect the rest of the country.

Light rain is expected in Cagayan Valley, the Cordillera Administrative Region, Caraga, Northern Mindanao, Aurora, Quezon, Rizal, Oriental Mindoro, and the rest of the Davao Region.

Other parts of the country may also have isolated light rain.

But PAGASA does not expect the northeast monsoon to have any “significant impact.” (READ: FAST FACTS: Tropical cyclones, rainfall advisories)

A gale warning was issued at 5 pm on Tuesday, however, due to the surge of the northeast monsoon.

This gale warning covers Eastern Samar, the Dinagat Islands, the eastern coast of the Surigao provinces including Siargao, and the eastern coast of Davao Oriental.

Seas off those areas are rough to very rough, with wave heights reaching 2.8 meters to 4.5 meters.

PAGASA advised fishermen and others with small vessels not to set sail in areas covered by the gale warning. Larger vessels should watch out for big waves.

PAGASA is not monitoring any tropical cyclone at the moment.

So far, the Philippines has had one tropical cyclone in 2019 – Tropical Depression Amang. The country gets an average of 20 tropical cyclones per year. (READ: LIST: PAGASA’s names for tropical cyclones in 2019) – Rappler.com