LPA to bring moderate to heavy rains over Bicol and Samar provinces

A Low Pressure Area (LPA) forecast to move towards Eastern Visayas is expected to bring moderate to heavy with at times intense rains over the Bicol Region, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and Samar, PAGASA said on Saturday.

In its 11 a.m. advisory, PAGASA said Calabarzon, MIMAROPA, the rest of Visayas and Mindanao meanwhile may experience light to moderate with at times heavy rains.

PAGASA said flooding, which includes flashfloods, rain-induced landslides, and sediment-laden streamflows (lahar) may occur during heavy or prolonged rainfall especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to the said hazards and/or those that received significant antecedent rainfall from tropical cyclones Pepito, Quinta and Rolly.

At 10 a.m. on Saturday, the LPA was estimated at 205 km east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, and is forecast to move generally west-northwestward towards Eastern Visayas and may likely reach the said area in the afternoon.

The state weather bureau said the LPA may likely develop into Tropical Depression Tonyo within the next 36 hours. 

PAGASA said it is not ruling out the possibility that the LPA will be upgraded into a tropical depression when it is near or over the Philippine landmass.

Hazards on coastal waters

Moderate to rough seas (2.0 to 3.5 m) are expected to be experienced over the seaboards of northern Quezon (including the northern and eastern coastal waters of Polillo Islands) and Camarines Norte, the northern seaboard of Camarines Sur, the northern and eastern seaboards of Catanduanes, and the eastern seaboards of Albay (including Rapu-Rapu Islands), Sorsogon, Eastern Samar, Dinagat Islands, and Siargao Islands, due to the LPA and the easterlies.

Mariners of small seacraft are thus advised to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea, while inexperienced mariners should avoid navigating in these conditions.

Borongan

In Borongan, Eastern Samar, residents have started experiencing rains and winds on Saturday due to the LPA, according to a report on 24 Oras News Alert.

The local government has already prepared for floods and landslides that may occur, especially since the water levels in rivers were still high following the heavy rains from Super Typhoon Rolly (international name: Goni). —Jamil Santos/KG, GMA News