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MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 30 October) — The new tropical depression spotted east of Mindanao is unlikely to directly affect the country, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in an advisory issued at 11 a.m. on Sunday.The new weather disturbance will be called Queenie once it enters PAR.Queenie, the 17th tropical cyclone to enter the country this year, is expected to linger east of the Surigao area until Wednesday.But Pagasa’s forecast says Queenie will weaken into a low pressure area on Thursday even before it could make a landfall.
The center of the new tropical depression which may enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Monday was estimated based on all available data at 1,250 km east of Northeastern Mindanao as of 10 a.m. on Sunday. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 45 km/h 55 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 55 km/h, the state weather agency said.“This tropical depression is forecast to track southwestward in the next 24 hours before gradually accelerating westward over the Philippines. A turn to the west northwestward may occur by Tuesday as it approaches the sea east of Visayas,” it added. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno / MindaNews)