PAGASA: New LPA expected to enter PAR on Dec. 26 or 27

A low-pressure area (LPA) is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on December 26 or 27, state weather bureau PAGASA said Wednesday.

PAGASA said the LPA may come close to the landmass of Mindanao on the evening of December 29 or morning of December 30.

The weather bureau said it has a 60 to 70% chance of developing into a tropical depression.

“In this regard, the public are advised to continue monitoring for possible changes on the forecast scenario, undertake precautionary measures, and remain vigilant against unofficial information coming from unverified sources,” PAGASA said.

Based on its early morning forecast, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) will be affecting southern Mindanao on Wednesday.

Davao Region will experience cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms brought about by the ITCZ with possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to at times heavy rains.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to the ITCZ and/or localized thunderstorms with possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms.

Odette death toll

Meanwhile, the reported death toll due to the recent onslaught of Typhoon Odette has climbed to 177, with 275 injured and 38 still missing, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Wednesday.

The NDRRMC, however, said only 11 deaths were confirmed including those reported in Palawan, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Bukidnon, and Misamis Oriental.

Odette exited PAR at 12:40 p.m. last Saturday, December 18. — RSJ, GMA News