A low-pressure system stemming from a tropical storm that started in the Philippines is expected to bring rainfall across 10 Cambodian provinces later this week – an exceedingly rare occurrence this early in the year, meteorology officials said yesterday.

Chan Yutha, spokesman for the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, said the rare phenomenon last happened “dozens” of years ago. Phnom Penh, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Kandal, Kampong Speu, Takeo and coastal provinces will see low- to mid-level rains from Saturday through Monday.

The rain isn’t expected to cause flooding, but it could affect lower-lying areas with rice fields, Yutha added.

“Low-pressure [systems] evolving into storms generally happens after the Khmer New Year or early in June,” he said. “But now it’s happening, quite irregularly, in January such a phenomenon rarely occurs.”

The low-pressure system will evolve from tropical storm Muifa, which started in the Philippines, but is supposed to die off completely by tomorrow when it reaches the southeast coast of Vietnam.