LPA to enter PAR Thursday or Friday, may enhance Habagat - PAGASA

State weather bureau PAGASA said on Wednesday that a low pressure area west of Luzon may enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) between Thursday and Friday, potentially enhancing the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat).

As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, the LPA was located 675 kilometers west of Iba, Zambales.

"Sa susunod na 24 oras, kikilos po ang bagyo pa hilagang-silangan at maaaring pumasok ng ating area of responsibility bukas ng hapon hanggang sa Biyernes," PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja said in an update Wednesday afternoon.

(Within the next 24 hours, the weather disturbance is expected to move northeastward and may enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility between Thursday afternoon and Friday.)

By Saturday, the weather disturbance may be near Taiwan and Batanes, he added.

Estareja said forecasters are not ruling out the possibility that the LPA could intensify into a tropical depression while inside the PAR. Should this happen, it would be assigned the local name "Ester" and become the country's fifth tropical cyclone for 2026.

He also said the chance of the weather disturbance making landfall remains low, but it is expected to further enhance the Southwest Monsoon.

"Maliit ang tsansa na magla-landfall o tatama sa kalupaan ang nasabing sama ng panahon pero mage-enhance pa rin po ito o magpapaibayo ng Habagat sa malaking bahagi ng Luzon sa mga susunod na araw," he said.

(The weather disturbance has a low chance of making landfall, but it is still expected to enhance the Southwest Monsoon over large parts of Luzon in the coming days.)

The Habagat season began on May 30. — VBL, GMA News