THE Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on Friday that the two low-pressure areas (LPAs) may merge within 48 hours, but they remain unlikely to escalate into a storm.

Pagasa weather forecaster Patrick del Mundo said the LPA inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) was estimated some 765 kilometers east-southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, while the other one outside PAR was last spotted at 1,110 km east of Eastern Visayas.

'These two LPAs, even if they merge probably between 24 and 48 hours, still have a slim chance of escalating into a tropical depression,' del Mundo told The Manila Times.

But its trough or extension is affecting Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Caraga, Davao Region and Bohol, where overcast skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms would be likely, Pagasa said.

It said that the northeast monsoon locally known as 'amihan' is bringing cloudy skies with rains over Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region, Bicol Region and Quezon.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country may experience partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with light rains due to the same weather system.

Meanwhile, the rest of Mindanao may have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms caused by the localized thunderstorms.