A tropical depression has been spotted outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), the state-run weather agency said early Monday morning.
Weather specialist Daniel James Villamil of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the weather disturbance was estimated at 2, 425 kilometers (kms) east-northeast of extreme Northern Luzon outside PAR.
Moving northwestward at 20 kilometers per hour (kph), the tropical depression has maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center and gustiness up to 70 kph, Pagasa said in its 5 a.m. advisory.
For now, Villamil said that the tropical depression remains unlikely to directly affect the country.
“In fact, there was also a slim chance that the tropical depression would enter PAR,” the Pagasa forecaster said.
Pagasa said the southwest monsoon (habagat) has been the prevailing weather system all over the archipelago.
Scattered rains and thunderstorms, particularly over Metro Manila, Davao Region and other areas in Luzon and Mindanao are likely due to habagat.
The rest of the country would have occasional downpours or thunderstorms, the state weather agency said.
