Moderate rains are expected to sporadically prevail over most  areas in Central and Southern Luzon including Metro Manila Thursday after weather forecasters said they spotted a low pressure area (LPA) that could enhance the northeast monsoon or Hanging Amihan.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) issued the advisory after spotting the LPA moving westward across the Visayas and Southern Luzon in the vicinity of Masbate as of 9 a.m.Wednesday.

Robert Sawi, head of PAGASA weather forecasting section, expected the rain-causing weather system to reach the South China Sea kilometers west of Mindoro Thursday morning, which could still intensify the surge of the monsoon and affect weather conditions in Luzon.

"The LPA has a wide rain band (cloud) that will bring moderate rainshowers in Southern Luzon provinces like Quezon, Laguna, Batangas and Rizal including Metro Manila that could extend over Central Luzon (like Bataan, Zambales, Bulacan and Pampanga)," Sawi said in an interview.

He explained that the prevalence of the northeast monsoon will also cause light to moderate rains in provinces lying in the northeast of the weather system's location.

In its bulletin posted at 11 a.m. Wednesday, the weather bureau warned that the rains may continue to trigger flashfloods and landslides in Southern Luzon, Visayas and MIndanao.

For his part, PAGASA deputy director Nathaniel Cruz said forecasters also expected possibility of intensification of LPA into a tropical cyclone when it reaches the South China Sea, where it could gather more strength.

Should this occur, Sawi noted that rains over Central and Southern Luzon as well as some parts of Visayas will become frequent and heavier.

But PAGASA assured that the rest of the country including Northern Luzon, which has been battered by Typhoon "Pepeng" last week, will have partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with isolated rains and thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or the evening.