Weather: LPA off Eastern Visayas may become cyclone in 24 hours

Flash floods and landslides threaten parts of Southern Luzon and the Visayas as a low-pressure area east of Eastern Visayas threatens to become a cyclone within the next day, state weather forecasters said Monday. Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration forecaster Nelson Dianela said the LPA will be codenamed "Juaning" once it becomes a cyclone. "Inaasahan natin maging bagyo ito kung hindi mamayang madaling araw sa mga susunod na araw (We expect the LPA to become a cyclone if not within today, in the next few days)," Dianela said in an interview on dzBB radio. But he said the LPA has no direct effect on the country for now, as it is the inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) that is affecting Southern Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. He said the affected areas can expect "scattered" rainshowers for the day. In Metro Manila, he said there may be "scattered rain showers" in the afternoon, when President Benigno Aquino III delivers his State of the Nation Address. Floods, landslides PAGASA's 5 a.m. bulletin said the LPA was estimated at 360 km east northeast of Borongan, Eastern Samar as of 2 a.m. It said the LPA was embedded in the ITCZ affecting Southern Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. "Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms becoming widespread rains over the eastern sections of Visayas and Southern Luzon which may trigger flashfloods and landslides," it said. The rest of the country will be mostly cloudy with rain showers and thunderstorms, it added. — RSJ, GMA News