Metro Manila, Philippines – The tropical depression east of the country may bring rains and stormy weather in parts of northern Luzon this weekend, the weather bureau said on Friday, June 19.
The weather disturbance, to be called Tropical Storm Francisco, may reach typhoon category by Sunday, though a landfall scenario is unlikely at this time, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA.
The bureau said it is also monitoring the still-tropical depression over waters west of Guman, for its possible enhancement of the southwest monsoon (habagat) by the middle of next week.
PAGASA said the tropical cyclone’s closest approach to land mass may trigger raising Wind Signal No. 1 over parts of northern Luzon.
As of 10 a.m., the weather disturbance was spotted 1,850 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas, with center winds of 55 kilometers per hour (km/h0 and gusts of up to 70 km/h.
