A LOW pressure area (LPA) east of the Eastern Visayas region yesterday developed into a tropical depression and was named “Paeng,” the country’s 16th tropical cyclone and the fourth for this month.
Paeng is expected to further intensify into a tropical storm today, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
“Further intensification is likely while moving over the Philippine Sea and may reach typhoon category prior to its landfall,” said PAGASA.
PAGASA said the LPA intensified into tropical depression at around 8 a.m. yesterday.
PAGASA weather specialist Raymond Ordinario said Paeng might make landfall on Sunday in the Cagayan area.
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Paeng was some 945 km east of Eastern Visayas, packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 55 kph. It is moving westward at 10 kph.
PAGASA said Paeng is forecast to track generally westward until this afternoon before turning west northwestward later today until Saturday afternoon. It said Paeng may start bringing heavy to intense rains in Bicol region on Friday.
PAGASA said Paeng may also bring moderate to heavy with at times intense rains in Eastern Visayas, the Mindoro provinces, Marinduque, Romblon, Quezon, Aurora, Isabela, and Cagayan. Light to moderate with at times heavy rains are possible in Rizal, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Cordillera Administrative Region, and the rest of Visayas and Cagayan Valley.
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council spokesman Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said the NDRRMC has already conducted a pre-disaster assessment in preparation for Paeng.
“We are on now on red alert,” said Alejandro.
