MANILA, Philippines — State weather bureau PAGASA is monitoring a new low pressure area that could develop into a typhoon and enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility, after Pepito's exit on Thursday.
The agency said the LPA was spotted at 1,180 km east of Mindanao on Thursday afternoon.
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Severe tropical storm Pepito, meanwhile, exited PAR at 7:30 this morning and intensified into a typhoon as it moves to landfall over central Vietnam over the weekend.
Disaster officials had put the number of individuals affected by the Pepito at more than 25,000 or some 5,555 families.
Some 8,473 persons were also sent to evacuation centers, per NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal.
There were also 11 flooding and 12 landslide incidents recorded in the regions of Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and CALABARZON.
Overall, the estimated damage so far has stood at P121.6 million both to agriculture and infrastructure in Region 2 and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Weather condition throughout the country is expected to improve on Friday, with PAGASA warning that some areas such as Zambales, Bataan, Mindoro and Palawan could still experience rains due to Pepito's extension.
The rest of Luzon and Metro Manila, as well as Visayas and Mindanao, will see generally fair weather, with still some possibility of isolated rains.
Gale warning, meanwhile, is still raised over Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, Lubang Island, the western coast of Batanga and Palawan.
Typhoon Pepito was the 16th storm to hit the country this year, with the weather bureau warning that above normal rainfall conditions are to be expected from October 2020 to until March 2021, due to the onset of the La Niña. — Christian Deiparine