MANILA, Philippines – The low pressure area (LPA) that the weather bureau has been monitoring developed into a tropical depression at 2 am on Tuesday, April 11.

It was given the local name Amang, as the Philippines’ first tropical cyclone for 2023.

Tropical Depression Amang was last spotted 475 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes, moving west northwest at 20 kilometers per hour (km/h) before dawn on Tuesday.

It has maximum sustained winds of 45 km/h and gustiness of up to 55 km/h.

In a bulletin issued at 5 am, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) raised Signal No. 1 for the following areas, warning of strong winds:

• Catanduanes
• northern part of Eastern Samar (Taft, Can-avid, Sulat, Dolores, Oras, Arteche, San Policarpo, Jipapad, Maslog, San Julian)
• eastern part of Northern Samar (Catubig, Lapinig, Gamay, Mapanas, Palapag, Laoang, San Roque, Pambujan, Mondragon)

PAGASA also said rain is expected to reach heavy to intense levels in the next three days. Floods and landslides are possible.

Forecast accumulated rainfall from Tuesday morning to evening, April 11

Heavy rain (50-100 millimeters)

• Northern Samar
• northern part of Samar
• northern part of Eastern Samar

Forecast accumulated rainfall from Tuesday morning, April 11, to Thursday evening, April 13

Intense rain (100-200 mm)

• Camarines Norte
• western part of Camarines Sur

Heavy rain (50-100 mm)

• southern part of Quezon
• rest of Bicol
• Northern Samar
• northern part of Samar
• northern part of Eastern Samar

For coastal waters, the weather bureau issued a gale warning at 5 am on Tuesday, covering these seaboards:

• eastern seaboard of Southern Luzon as well as northern and eastern seaboards of Visayas (eastern coast of Catanduanes, northern and eastern coasts of Northern Samar, eastern coast of Eastern Samar) – rough seas, with waves 2.8 to 4 meters high

PAGASA advised fishing boats and other small vessels not to sail, and larger vessels to watch out for big waves.

Moderate to rough seas, with waves 1.2 to 2.8 meters high, are also seen in the eastern seaboards of Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, and Eastern Visayas that are not under the gale warning. Small vessels should take precautionary measures or avoid venturing out to sea.

PAGASA said Amang is projected to keep heading toward Bicol on Tuesday before turning northwest and possibly staying offshore over the waters east of Luzon until Thursday, April 13.

But the weather bureau is not ruling out the possibility of landfall in Bicol or the northern part of Samar Island, especially until Wednesday, April 12.

PAGASA also expects Amang to remain a tropical depression in the next few days. It may weaken back into an LPA by late Thursday or early Friday, April 14.

Though the warm and dry season is underway, the weather bureau earlier estimated there would be up to one tropical cyclone in April. – Rappler.com