Weather: Potential cyclone spotted off Batanes

Rain looms over parts of Luzon as state weather forecasters track a potential cyclone — a low-pressure area — off Batanes Wednesday afternoon. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the LPA was estimated at 320 km east of Basco, Batanes as of 2 p.m. PAGASA did not immediately say if the LPA would intensify into a cyclone. If the LPA intensifies into a cyclone while inside Philippine territory, it will be locally codenamed "Pedring." PAGASA forecaster Elvie Enriquez said they could not immediately discount the possibility of an LPA intensifying into a cyclone. PAGASA's 5 p.m. bulletin indicated that northern and western Luzon will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms in the next 24 hours. It added the rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms. Light to moderate winds blowing from the northwest to west will prevail over Northern Luzon and coming from southwest over the rest of the country. The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be slight to moderate, it added. - KBK, GMA News