DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 31 December) — A low pressure area (LPA) that may develop into tropical depression ‘Agaton,’ has been spotted 850 kilometers east of Surigao City as of 3 p.m. Sunday, the state weather bureau said.
In its weather advisory issued at 4 p.m. Sunday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the LPA as of 3 p.m. was estimated at 850 kilometers east of Surigao City while a tail-end of a cold front is affecting Bicol region and Eastern Visayas and a northeast monsoon is affecting Northern and Central Luzon.
The advisory said there will be cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorm over Caraga, Davao and Northern Mindanao regions caused by the trough of LPA, and warned of possible flash floods or landslides due to scattered light to moderate to at times heavy rains.
Caraga comprises Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao dl Norte and Surigao del Sur and the cities of Bayugan, Bislig, Butuan, Cabadbaran, Surigao amd Tandag; Davao comprises the four Davao provinces — del Norte, del Sur, Oriental and Occidental — and Compostela Valley and the cities of Davao, Digos, Mati, Panabo, Samal and Tagum, while Northern Mindanao comprises Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental and the cities of Cagayan de Oro, El Salvador, Iligan, Gingoog, Malaybalay, Oroquieta, Ozamiz, Tangub and Valencia
PAGASA on December 29 issued a Special Weather Outlook for December 30 to January 2 indicating that an LPA which may develop into a tropical depression is expected to pass over Mindanao and “will bring moderate-occasionally intense rains and gusty winds over the area along its path.”
Light to moderate rainshowers and isolated thunderstorms are expected over Mindanao until December 31 while moderate to occasionally intense rains with gusty winds are expected New Year’s Day until January 2 “as the LPA/TD approaches and makes landfall over Eastern Mindanao.”
PAGASA warned flash flood and landslides are possible over Davao Region, Caraga, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Samar and Leyte and sea travel is risky due to big waves associated with the possible effects of LPA/TD over Mindanao.
On December 22, severe tropical storm Vinta made landfall in Cateel, Davao Oriental and moved westward, leaving at least 214 persons dead in Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte and thousands fleeing to evacuation centers in their areas. (MindaNews)