Tropical Depression Rumina forms, may enter PAR soon

A tropical depression formed from a low-pressure area (LPA) outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) at 2 pm on Saturday, December 21 and may enter PAR within 24 hours, potentially becoming Tropical Storm 'Rumina', the 18th named storm of the year.

Located 620 kilometers south of Kalayaan as of Sunday morning, it has maximum sustained winds of 55 km/h with gusts up to 70 km/h and is moving north-northeastward at 20 km/h.

PAGASA warns that the shear line affecting Visayas, Bicol Region, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Dinagat Islands, and Zamboanga Peninsula brings additional rainfall with potential for flash floods or landslides due to convergence between cold northeast monsoon air and warm Pacific winds.

Cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms are expected in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Palawan, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, as well as isolated rain showers or thunderstorms over Mindanao.

Due to the trough of the tropical depression, parts of Luzon will experience cloudy skies with rain from the northeast monsoon ('amihan'), while Visayas and Bicol Region may see moderate rainfall due to the shear line.

PAGASA has warned residents in these areas of potential flash floods or landslides caused by moderate to heavy rainfall.