Filipinos heading to cemeteries this weekend to pay respects to their departed loved ones should prepare for rain, as a low-pressure area (LPA) and the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) are expected to bring wet weather across parts of the country, the state weather bureau said Saturday.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the LPA was spotted at 3 a.m. about 275 kilometers west of Coron, Palawan. It will bring scattered rain showers over the province and nearby areas.
In Northern Luzon, Cagayan will experience scattered rains caused by the shear line, while Batanes may see isolated light rains due to the northeast monsoon or amihan.
The ITCZ will also affect Visayas, Mindanao, the Bicol Region, and the rest of Mimaropa, bringing partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers and thunderstorms. Similar weather conditions are expected in other parts of the country due to localized thunderstorms, PAGASA added.
Moderate to strong winds with moderate to rough seas will prevail over Northern Luzon and the eastern sections of Central and Southern Luzon. The rest of the country will experience light to moderate winds and slight to moderate seas.
Meanwhile, another LPA outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) has intensified into a tropical depression. As of 3 a.m., it was located 1,425 kilometers east of northeastern Mindanao, packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 55 kph, moving westward at 15 kph.