Weather: PAGASA monitors new potential cyclone

State weather forecasters have started monitoring a new potential cyclone — a low-pressure area — spotted off northern Luzon. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), however, did not immediately say if the LPA would intensify into a cyclone. In its 5 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA said the LPA was estimated at 1,200 km east of northern Luzon as of 2 p.m., even as a wind convergence is affecting Batanes and Calayan Islands. "Batanes and Calayan Groups of Islands will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms. The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening," it said. Should the LPA become a cyclone while in Philippine territory, it will be locally codenamed "Sendong." Meanwhile, PAGASA said moderate to occasionally strong winds blowing from the northeast and east will prevail over Batanes and Calayan groups of islands and its coastal waters will be moderate to occasionally rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the east to northeast with slight to moderate seas. On Saturday, PAGASA forecaster Nelson Dianela said there is no sign of any cyclone or weather disturbance that may affect Filipinos' observation of All Saints' and All Souls' Days. Still, Dianela advised the public to bring umbrellas as isolated rain showers and thunderstorms are possible on those days. - KBK, GMA News