Tropical cyclone threatens parts of North Luzon

A potential cyclone off Northern Luzon has intensified into an active low-pressure area (ALPA) and may threaten parts of Northern Luzon. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said there is a chance the ALPA will become a cyclone within the day. "The LPA we are monitoring has become active. There is a chance it will become a tropical cyclone," PAGASA forecaster Elvie Enriquez said in an interview on dzBB radio. She said it will be codenamed "Inday" once it becomes a cyclone. As of 9 a.m., weather site Typhoon2000 and the Japan Meteorological Agency had considered the weather disturbance as a tropical depression. Typhoon2000 said that as of 6 a.m. Wednesday, the tropical depression "12W" had maximum winds of 55 kph and was moving at 19 kph, but listed it as in the Taiwan-Okinawa area. JMA, on the other hand, said the tropical depression was moving west-northwest at 10 kph. The weather condition will likely affect Batanes, Ilocos, and Isabela should it intensify, she added. PAGASA's 5 a.m. bulletin said that as of 2 a.m., the ALPA was estimated at 650 km east of Northern Luzon, embedded along the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) affecting Southern Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. "Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms. The rest of Luzon will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms," it said. Meanwhile, Enriquez said PAGASA forecasters have started undergoing seminars for an improved system of disseminating weather forecasts to the public. She said forecasters undergoing the seminar are grouped in pairs. Enriquez said the forecasters will be trained to give forecasts more frequently, especially if a cyclone threatens parts of the country. — LBG, GMANews.TV