Tropical depression Domeng slightly intensifies, moves southward slowly
Tropical depression Domeng, the fourth tropical cyclone to develop in the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) this year, has intensified slightly while slowly moving southward, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Thursday evening, June 30.
The center of the weather disturbance was last spotted 1,000 kilometers (km) east of extreme northern Luzon. It has maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph), and is moving southward slowly.
PAGASA, in its bulletin issued as of 11 p.m., said that Domeng is forecast to reach tropical storm category in the next 12 hours.
Although it is expected to move north-northwestward over the next three days and remain far from the Philippine landmass, Domeng – together with tropical storm Chaba, formerly known as Caloy, will still enhance the southwest monsoon locally called “habagat.”
“In the next 24 hours, the monsoon trough and the southwest monsoon will bring monsoon rains over the western sections of central and southern Luzon,” said the state weather bureau.
No tropical cyclone wind signal is currently raised due to Domeng. It is also expected to exit PAR on Saturday, July 2.