A low-pressure area (LPA) east of northern Luzon has developed into tropical depression Ester, moving away from northern Luzon and is not expected to make a landfall.
Weather specialist Obet Badrina said the LPA developed into a tropical depression at 2 p.m. Friday. Ester was estimated at 835 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon, with maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness up to 55 kph.
“Walang direktang epekto ang bagyong Ester sa ano man bahagi ng ating bansa. At hindi rin natin ito inaasahan na magkakaroon ng ano man landfall dahil ito ay kumikilos papalayo na ng ating kapuluan,” he said.
Tropical depression Ester is enhancing the southwest monsoon, affecting areas of Southern Luzon, eastern, and western part of Visayas. The chances of rains over southern part of Luzon are possible during the weekend due to southwest monsoon or habagat.
Ester is expected to move north northwestward and will exit Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Saturday afternoon at 885 km northeast of extreme Northern Luzon. It will remain as tropical depression category in the next 36 hours.
PAGASA stated that it will not raise any tropical wind signal as Ester is moving away from the country’s landmass. In the next 24 hours, the combined effect of the southwest monsoon and tropical depression Ester will bring scattered light to moderate with at times heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms over Metro Manila, Bataan, Cavite, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Antique, and Aklan.
The two weather systems will bring moderate to rough seas at 1.3 to 2.8 meters wave height over the northern and eastern seaboards of the country.
“Delikado ito lalong-lalo na sa may maliliit na sasakyang pandagat kaya hangga’t maaari, umiwas muna ang mga maliliit na bangka sa lugar na ito,” he said.
