Over the next several hours, a low-level circulation center became evident and convection organized around it, prompting the JTWC to issue an updated outlook.[1] At 1800 UTC, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)[nb 3] classified the storm as a tropical depression while it was located northeast of Yap in the Caroline Islands.[5] The JTWC issued a tropical cyclone formation alert for the system at 2030 UTC, and designated it Tropical Depression 25W at 1200 UTC on November 12.[3] The system intensified gradually as it began to track quickly westward toward the Philippines.[1]