PAGASA monitoring potential cyclone in Visayas, Mindanao

State weather forecasters are monitoring a potential cyclone that may bring flash floods and landslides to parts of the Visayas and Mindanao. While the low-pressure area (LPA) has a high chance of becoming a cyclone, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said its models show the LPA may hit land before becoming a cyclone. "Ngayon masyadong mabilis ang paggalaw ... masyadong mababa ang chances maging ganap na isang bagyo ... (Baka) babangga na sa kalupaan ng mountain," PAGASA forecaster Sonny Pajarilla said in an interview on dzBB radio. As of 2:00 a.m. on Thursday, PAGASA said the LPA was estimated at 360 kilometers *(km) east of Surigao City, embedded along the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) affecting Visayas and Mindanao. "Visayas and Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers andthunderstorms becoming widespread rains over Eastern and Central Visayas and Northeastern Mindanao which may trigger flashfloods and landslides," PAGASA said in its 5:00 a.m. bulletin. "Southern Luzon will have mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms. The rest of Luzon will be partly cloudy to at times cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms," PAGASA added. PAGASA also said light to moderate winds blowing from the East to Southeast will prevail over Northern Luzon and coming from the East to Northeast over the rest of the country. The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be slight to moderate. Meanwhile, the weather site Typhoon2000 said in its 8:00 a.m. update that there was a 90 percent chance that a cyclone would be formed in "six to 12 hours." - VVP, GMA News