Weather: LPA off Ilocos intensifies into ‘Lando’

Two tropical cyclones are now within the Philippine area of responsibility after the low pressure area off the West Philippine Sea intensified to Tropical Depression Lando on Sunday afternoon. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on its Twitter account past 6:30 p.m. that the active LPA earlier spotted off Ilocos Sur has developed into a cyclone. It said Typhoon Kabayan is over the Pacific Ocean while Lando is over the West Philippine Sea. The state weather bureau, however, has yet to issue a weather bulletin on the new weather disturbance. Lando is the sixth cyclone to enter the country this month, and 12th weather disturbance this year. Earlier Sunday afternoon, PAGASA warned of flash floods and landslides in the western parts of Luzon and Visayas even as Kabayan continued to move north. In its 5 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA said Kabayan was estimated at 1,005 km east-northeast of Casiguran, Aurora, with maximum sustained winds of 175 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 210 kph and moving north at 7 kph. “The western sections of Luzon and Visayas will experience Monsoon rains which may trigger flashfloods and landslides. The rest of Luzon and Visayas will have mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms. Mindanao will be partly cloudy to at times cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms," PAGASA said. It added moderate to strong winds blowing from the southwest to south will prevail over Northern Luzon and coming from the Southwest over the rest of the country. The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be moderate to rough, it added. Gale warning PAGASA also said strong to gale-force winds are expected to affect the Northern seaboard of Northern Luzon, the Western seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon and of Visayas and the Eastern seaboards of Luzon and Visayas. “Fishing boats and other small seacrafts are advised not to venture out into the sea while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves," it said. - KBK, GMA News