LPA inside PAR seen to intensify into tropical depression within 24 hours

Metro Manila, Philippines - A low pressure area (LPA) inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility may intensify into a tropical depression within the next 24 hours, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

As of 2 a.m., the LPA was spotted southeast of Tagum City in Davao del Norte. It will be assigned a local name “Querubin” once it becomes a cyclone.

PAGASA earlier said it expects one to two storms inside the weather disturbance monitoring zone in December.

The weather bureau said the LPA will dump scattered rains and thunderstorms over Eastern Visayas, Caraga, and Davao region. Forecasters warned of possible flooding and landslides in times of moderate to heavy rains.

Meanwhile, three other weather systems are also triggering rains in some parts of the country.

Scattered rainshowers may persist over the Bicol region and Quezon, while the rest of the Visayas and Mindanao will also experience moderate to heavy rains brought by the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

Up north, the northeast monsoon will cause overcast skies and rains over the Cagayan Valley, Cordillera, and Aurora.