LPA may enter PAR today as tropical depression

MANILA, Philippines - A low pressure area (LPA) spotted more than a thousand kilometers away from Northern Mindanao will enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility as a tropical cyclone on Thursday afternoon.

Glaiza Escullar, forecaster at the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said that the LPA over the Pacific Ocean will intensify into a tropical depression even before it enters the PAR.

As of 4 a.m., the LPA was estimated at 1,170 kilometers east of Northern Mindanao.

The cyclone will be named "Basyang" once it enters the PAR.

Escullar said inclement weather is expected in the Visayas and Mindanao until Friday due to the weather disturbance.