By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
The low pressure area (LPA) being monitored by PAGASA has developed into Tropical Depression Luis on late Saturday and has continued to increase in strength over the succeeding hours.
As of 11:00 a.m. this Sunday, Luis was last located 400 km east of Infanta, Quezon, packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kph and gustiness of up to 70 kph as it moves northwestward at 15 kph.
The weather system’s proximity to Luzon has prompted the state weather bureau to hoist Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 over Polillo Islands, Camarines Norte, and the northern portion of Camarines Sur (Caramoan, Presentacion, Garchitorena, Lagonoy, Tinambac, Siruma, Goa, San Jose, Tigaon, Calabanga), which may experience strong winds over the next 36 hours.
Even in the absence of a gale warning advisory, PAGASA warns owners of motorbancas and similarly sized vessels to exercise caution while venturing out to sea, with moderate to rough seas expected over the following coastal waters:
• Up to 2.5 m: The northern seaboards of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes; the eastern seaboard of Davao Oriental.
• Up to 2.0 m: The seaboard of Isabela; the eastern seaboards of mainland Cagayan, Catanduanes, and Davao Occidental; and the northern seaboard of Aurora.
Tropical Depression Luis is expected to maintain its trajectory in the next 24 hours before turning east-northeastward for the remainder of the forecast period.
However, a westward shift in the forecast track may result in landfall or close approach to Northern or Central Luzon. Luis may also intensify into a tropical storm while moving over the sea east of Central Luzon.
PAGASA, moreover, urged the public and disaster risk reduction and management offices to facilitate preparations and implement salient protocols, as well as continue monitoring further developments issued by the state weather bureau.
Meanwhile, the agency is also closely monitoring another tropical cyclone with an international name “Dolphin” that was last located within the Tropical Cyclone Information Domain (TCID).
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