The state weather bureau said that a low-pressure area that had formed just outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) has developed into a tropical depression as earlier feared.
In its 5:00 p.m. advisory on Sunday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that the cyclone would be christened ‘Marce’ once it enters the PAR late Sunday night or early Monday morning.
As of late Sunday afternoon, the center of the weather disturbance was estimated to be some 1,315 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas, but still outside the Philippines.
PAGASA said the depression packed maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center, and gustiness (peak wind speed or sudden, temporary increase) of up to 70 km/h.
The storm was moving Northwestward at 30 km/h as of the weather bureau’s last bulletin on Sunday.
PAGASA projects the weather disturbance to move toward northern Luzon, where a recent storm, Typhoon Leon, caused damage due to its violent winds and heavy rains.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that nearly 2 million people were affected by Super Typhoon ‘Leon,’ which battered parts of the country last week.
Leon officially entered the Philippines on the evening of October 26 and exited early morning of All Saint’s Day.
Less than a week before Leon hit the country, Severe Tropical Storm Kristine battered the provinces of Luzon and Visayas, destroying much infrastructure and crops and leaving around 150 people dead and 20 still missing.
Combined, ‘Kristine’ and ‘Leon’ affected some 8.6 million individuals, according to the NDRRMC’s tally released on Sunday.
Both storms, affected 858 road sections and 110 bridges, however, as of Sunday, 703 roads and 92 bridges were already passable.
Of the 367 cities and municipalities that lost power during the passing of the cyclones, 323 had their power supply restored already.
Meanwhile, the disaster agency said that of the 50 cities and municipalities whose water supply was affected, 43 had their water service restored.
Sixty-five cities and municipalities had their communication lines disrupted but 17 of these have already been restored.
Forty-eight cities and municipalities still have disrupted communication lines.
The NDRRMC said three airports were affected by Kristine and Leon, but all of them are now operational.
