Low-pressure area off Aurora intensifies into storm

MANILA, Philippines - The low-pressure area off Casiguran, Aurora intensified into Tropical Depression Odette yesterday, the state weather bureau said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said rains will persist in many parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, in the next few days.

The rest of Luzon and the Visayas will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms.

Mindanao will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

The center of Odette was spotted at 930 kilometers east of Casiguran as of 4 p.m. yesterday. It packed winds of 45 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and was moving west-northwest at seven kph.

No storm warning signals, however, were raised as of yesterday afternoon.

Odette is the 15th tropical cyclone to enter the country this year and the first weather disturbance this month.

The disturbance will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon which will bring moderate to occasionally heavy rains and thunderstorms over Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Occidental Mindoro.

It is expected to dump moderate to heavy (five to 10 millimeters per hour) rain within its 300-km radius.

PAGASA weather division chief Robert Sawi said they are not yet discounting the possibility of Odette making landfall.

“Based on latest analysis, it will move toward extreme northern Luzon,” Sawi said.

Odette is predicted to be 830 km east of Tuguegarao City this afternoon; 680 km east of Tuguegarao tomorrow afternoon, and 530 km east of Aparri, Cagayan by Thursday afternoon.