Paolo exits; new cyclone seen east of Phl

MANILA, Philippines — Typhoon Paolo (international name Lan) exited the Philippine area of responsibility yesterday, but the state weather bureau spotted a new cyclone brewing east of the country that may follow Paolo’s track.

As this developed, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) cancelled eight international flights due to bad weather in the region as of 9:30 a.m. yesterday.

Weather forecaster Gener Quitlong said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is monitoring an active low-pressure area or LPA over the Pacific Ocean.

As of yesterday morning, the weather disturbance was estimated at 2,000 kilometers east of the Philippines, Quitlong said.

He said the new disturbance was expected to follow the path of Paolo and was unlikely to make landfall in any part of the country.

Paolo left the country at 1 a.m. yesterday headed to Japan.

While it did not make landfall in the country, the typhoon’s outer cloud bands brought heavy rains in some parts of Visayas and Mindanao in the past days, leaving at least nine people dead.

Quitlong said the outer spiral of Paolo also continued to generate “rough to very rough” seas over the seaboards of Northern Luzon, the eastern seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon and of Visayas yesterday.

He said the brewing cyclone over the Pacific was not expected to affect the country in the next two to three days.

However, an intertropical convergence zone or band of clouds would still bring light to moderate and occasionally heavy rains over Bicol region, Eastern Visayas and Palawan.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country, meanwhile, will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening.

Quitlong added the approaching weather disturbance could be the last cyclone to enter the Philippines this month.

Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines (PAL) cancelled five international flights from Manila to Kansai (PR 408); Manila to Narita (PR 432); Manila to Nagoya (PR 438), all in Japan; and PR 896/897 Manila-Taipei-Manila while Cebu Pacific cancelled three flights from Manila to Nagoya (5J5038) and Manila-Kansai-Manila (5J828/827).