LPA east of Southern Mindanao enters PAR, may develop into tropical cyclone Aghon

A low-pressure area (LPA) east of Southern Mindanao entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Thursday afternoon and is expected to develop into a tropical cyclone named 'Aghon' by Thursday evening.

As of 4 pm, the LPA was located 680 kilometers east of Davao City, moving northwestward towards Samar and Bicol Region late Friday through Saturday but may remain offshore or could make landfall near these areas due to high uncertainty in its track.

PAGASA warns that cloudy skies with rain showers and thunderstorms are expected over Eastern Visayas and Caraga, with possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to heavy rains.

Tropical cyclone wind signals may be raised as early as Friday for parts of Bicol and Eastern Visayas, with Aghon potentially intensifying into a tropical storm by Sunday morning and a severe tropical storm by Tuesday, May 28.

Scattered rain showers and thunderstorms are expected in Eastern Visayas and Southern Luzon starting Thursday due to La Niña conditions, but these rains may not be sufficient to significantly raise water levels in dams like Angat Dam which reached a critical level at 179.68 meters on Thursday morning.

The Angat Dam's water level is forecasted to drop further to 171.38 meters by the end of June, raising concerns about potential adverse impacts on Metro Manila and nearby provinces.