MANILA, Philippines – The low pressure area (LPA) that brought rain to parts of the Philippines for several days developed into a tropical depression at 2 am on Saturday, April 9.

It was given the local name Agaton, as the country’s first tropical cyclone for 2022.

In a bulletin released past 6 am on Saturday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Agaton was already 120 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, slowly moving west northwest.

Agaton has maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 55 km/h. It is likely to stay a tropical depression, but there is a “marginal possibility of intensification into a tropical storm” on Monday, April 11.

PAGASA warned that rain due to Agaton may trigger floods and landslides.

Saturday, April 9, until early Sunday morning, April 10

Moderate to heavy rain, with at times intense rain

• Eastern Visayas
• Dinagat Islands
• Surigao del Norte

Light to moderate rain, with at times heavy rain

• Masbate
• Sorsogon
• rest of Visayas
• rest of Mindanao

Early Sunday morning, April 10, until early Monday morning, April 11

Moderate to heavy rain, with at times intense rain

• Eastern Visayas
• Dinagat Islands
• Surigao del Norte
• northern and central parts of Cebu including Bantayan and Camotes Islands
• Bohol

Light to moderate rain, with at times heavy rain

• Masbate
• Sorsogon
• rest of Visayas
• rest of Mindanao

Signal No. 1 was also raised in these areas as of 5 am on Saturday, which means strong winds pose a “minimal to minor threat to life and property”:

• Eastern Samar
• Dinagat Islands
• Siargao Island
• Bucas Grande Island

PAGASA said Agaton will remain almost stationary off Eastern Visayas from Saturday to Monday.

“Due to the expected erratic nature of its movement, a landfall over the coast of Eastern Samar is possible,” the weather bureau added.

But Agaton could begin turning southeast or east on Tuesday, April 12, as it interacts with the incoming Tropical Storm Malakas, which is currently still outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

Malakas was located 2,015 kilometers east of Mindanao before dawn on Saturday, moving west northwest at 15 km/h.

It may enter PAR either on Monday or Tuesday, and would be given the local name Basyang.

At the moment, Malakas has maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h and gustiness of up to 90 km/h.

PAGASA Weather Specialist Ezra Bulquerin said Malakas or Basyang could merge with Agaton, with the former absorbing the latter. If this happens, Agaton would weaken into a remnant low by late Tuesday or early Wednesday, April 13.

Meanwhile, sea travel will also be risky on Saturday.

Rough to very rough seas due to Agaton

Waves 2.8 to 4.5 meters high; conditions risky for most vessels

• seaboards of areas under Signal No. 1
• northern and eastern coastal waters of Northern Samar

Rough to very rough seas due to the northeasterly surface windflow

Waves 2.8 to 4.5 meters high; small vessels advised not to sail, larger vessels alerted against big waves

• northern and western seaboards of Northern Luzon (Batanes, Babuyan Islands, northern coast of Cagayan, Ilocos Norte)

Moderate to rough seas

Waves 1.2 to 3.4 meters high; conditions risky for small vessels

• remaining seaboards of the Philippines

The northeasterly surface windflow will also cause rain in Northern Luzon on Saturday, particularly in these provinces:

• Batanes
• Cagayan
• Isabela
• Apayao
• Kalinga
• Abra
• Ilocos Norte

The other parts of Luzon which are not affected by either Agaton or the northeasterly surface windflow will only have isolated rain showers or thunderstorms. – Rappler.com