PAGASA monitoring 2 weather disturbances

MANILA -- State weather bureau PAGASA said Thursday that it is monitoring a low pressure area outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

In its latest 24-hour public weather forecast, PAGASA said the tropical cyclone was last seen 1,775 km east northeast of extreme northern Luzon. It has maximum sustained winds of 45 kph near the center and gusts of up to 55 kph.

PAGASA weather forecaster Benison Estareja said the tropical cyclone is moving 25 kph northwestward or toward Japan, which means it has no effect yet on the country's weather.

The state weather bureau also said it is monitoring another low pressure area 1,265 km east of central Luzon. It will not directly affect the weather in the Philippines on Thursday, and is expected to stay close to the PAR lines in the next 24 hours. 

"Pero simula po bukas, hanggang sa weekend ay unti-unting lalapit na ito sa malaking bahagi po ng Luzon, and as early as Saturday posibleng magpaulan na ito dito sa silangang parte, particularly dito sa may Calabarzon, Bicol Region, at dito rin po sa malaking bahagi ng Visayas," Estareja said.

(But starting tomorrow until the weekend, it will get closer to Luzon, and it may bring rains to Calabarzon, Bicol Region, and parts of Visayas as early as Saturday.)

It may also become a tropical depression, at which point it will be named Karding, he added. 

The southwest monsoon will continue to affect the western part of central and southern Luzon on Thursday, PAGASA said.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country will likely face partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to the habagat or localized thunderstorms, according to the state weather bureau.