MANILA, Philippines – The weather bureau said Monday that the low-pressure area (LPA) that is threatening to rain on the visit of Pope Francis to Tacloban City on January 17 could develop into a storm.
Buddy Javier, forecaster of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), said the LPA becoming a storm was one of three scenarios that could happen.
Javier said the LPA could also dissipate or that it could change course.
The Pagasa sees the LPA affecting the Visayas and Mindanao after it enters the Philippine area of responsibility probably on Thursday.
Should it become a cyclone, it will be called “Amang,” the agency said.
In the meantime, the northeast monsoon or amihan will continue to prevail over Luzon, which will experience cloudy skies and light rain, Pagasa said Monday.
Also, cloudy skies will prevail over the Eastern Visayan, CARAGA and Davao Regions, which may see light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms, Pagasa said.
Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated light rains. The rest of the Visayas and Mindanao will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms, it added.