MANILA, Philippines – The low-pressure area (LPA) off Bataan has become a tropical depression named ‘Henry,’ as the state-run weather agency on Wednesday quickly raised storm signal in at least three Luzon areas.
Areas under Wind Signal 1 include the southwestern portion of Zambales (San Antonio, Castillejos, Subic, Olongapo City), the western portion of Bataan (Morong, Bagac, Mariveles), and Lubang Islands in Occidental Mindoro, weather specialist Chenel Dominguez of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.
Moving northwestward at 25 kilometers per hour (kph) while packing maximum sustained winds of 45kph and gustiness of up to 55kph, Henry was estimated to be 115 kilometers west-southwest of Abucay, Bataan, Dominguez said during a 5 a.m. briefing.
Likely to gradually intensify while traversing the West Philippine Sea, the weather disturbance may reach tropical storm category by Thursday morning, the national weather bureau said.
“Forecast to move generally west-northwestward while moving away from landmass, it may then exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility also Thursday morning,” according to the Pagasa forecaster.
Pagasa said Henry, the eighth cyclone to hit the country in 2026, is also affecting Metro Manila, CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Bulacan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, and Marinduque, bringing overcast skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon or ‘habagat’ has been bringing overcast skies over the Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao), the rest of MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), Lanao del Norte, Misamis Oriental, and Misamis Occidental.
The rest of the country could experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms, it added.
