Henry enters Phl area tomorrow

MANILA, Philippines - A low-pressure area over the Pacific Ocean intensified into a tropical depression yesterday and is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility tomorrow morning, the state weather bureau reported.

Chris Perez, weather forecaster of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said the new weather disturbance is not expected to make landfall in any part of the country based on the latest forecast.

Perez said it would be locally named Henry once it enters the Philippine area of responsibility.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the disturbance was spotted at 990 kilometers east of northern Mindanao, packing winds of 45 kilometers per hour near the center.

The tropical depression was forecast to remain almost stationary within the next 24 hours.

“It is likely to move closer to the eastern seaboard of Luzon before heading to Taiwan or southern China,” Perez said.

He said unlike Glenda, the new disturbance was not expected to bring strong winds to any part of the country.

However, it will also enhance the southwest monsoon, which will bring rains over western Visayas and central and southern Luzon next week.

Perez said the southwest monsoon enhanced by Glenda will continue to bring occasional rains over Metro Manila and the provinces of La Union, Benguet, Pangasinan, Bataan, Zambales, Palawan and Mindoro.

The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers and thunderstorms, he said.