Signal 1 up in Davao Oriental; ‘Querubin’, wind convergence to dump heavy rain

Metro Manila, Philippines - The lowest storm alert is up over Davao Oriental as the low pressure area southeast of Mindanao intensified into tropical depression “Querubin,” according to the latest weather bulletin.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the cyclone may turn northward tomorrow, Dec. 18 and will pass through Mindanao and Palawan until Sunday.

The weather bureau said “Querubin” may weaken into a remnant low on Wednesday. It may, however, re-intensify into a tropical depression after passing through the southernmost island or Palawan.

Scattered rains and thunderstorms may occur in Eastern Visayas, Caraga, and Davao region due to “Querubin.” The storm trough will also trigger moderate to heavy rains in the rest of the Visayas and Mindanao.

Forecasters warned of possible flooding and landslides.

Meanwhile, the Bicol region and Quezon may also encounter scattered rains and thunderstorms brought by the shear line or warm and cold wind convergence.

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

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