PAGASA: Potential cyclone moves west of Luzon

Flash floods and landslides threaten parts of Luzon and Visayas even as a potential cyclone moved west of Zambales early Sunday, state weather forecasters said. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the low-pressure area (LPA) was 110 km west of Iba, Zambales as of 2 a.m. "The LPA's chances of becoming a cyclone are very slim. Even if it does become one, it shall have been very far from the Philippines," PAGASA forecaster Manny Mendoza said in an interview on dzBB radio. He also said the inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ), where the LPA is embedded, may continue to affect Luzon and Visayas. PAGASA's 5 a.m. bulletin said Luzon and Visayas will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms becoming widespread rains over the Eastern sections which may trigger flashfloods and landslides. Mindanao will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms, it added. Meanwhile, Mendoza said the transition from the southwest monsoon to the northeast winds (Amihan) may start in the second week of October. — LBG, GMA News