Luzon Braces for More Rain, Flooding as Southwest Monsoon Intensifies

MANILA, Philippines – The southwest monsoon or habagat continued to batter much of Luzon on Sunday, August 9, and it appears there may be little to no relief yet going into a new week. In a briefing past 5 pm on Sunday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the southwest monsoon will still trigger significant rainfall in Metro Manila and more than 20 provinces in the next 24 hours. The province of Benguet, located in the Cordillera Administrative Region, may be worst-hit. Here is PAGASA’s full 72-hour outlook for rainfall from the southwest monsoon, as of 5 pm on Sunday: Sunday afternoon, August 9, to Monday afternoon, August 10 Intense to torrential rain (above 200 millimeters): Benguet Heavy to intense rain (100-200 mm): Ilocos Sur, La Union, Zambales, Bataan, Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Occidental Mindoro Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Bulacan, Batangas, Laguna, Oriental Mindoro, Antique Monday afternoon, August 10, to Tuesday afternoon, August 11 Heavy to intense rain (100-200 mm): La Union, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Abra, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Antique Tuesday afternoon, August 11, to Wednesday afternoon, August 12 Heavy to intense rain (100-200 mm): Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro Moderate to heavy rain (50-100 mm): La Union, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Benguet, Tarlac, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Cavite, Batangas For Sunday evening, other areas in Luzon and Western Visayas not mentioned above, as well as the Negros Island Region, may also see scattered rain and thunderstorms due to the southwest monsoon. The persistent rain has brought floods and landslides to various regions, including Metro Manila. In Marikina City, the water level of the Marikina River was at 17.2 meters as of 7 pm on Sunday, down from 17.5 meters as of 6 pm but still equivalent to the second alarm. The second alarm means there should be preemptive evacuation for residents of areas which may be affected if the river overflows. If the Marikina River’s water level reaches 18 meters, the third alarm would be raised and mandatory evacuation would be enforced. Meanwhile, the water level of the La Mesa Dam in Quezon City was at 79.87 meters as of 7 pm on Sunday, breaching the critical level of 79.50 meters. The dam would overflow if it reaches the spilling level of 80.15 meters. This could affect communities in Quezon City, Caloocan City, Malabon City, Navotas City, and Valenzuela City, especially those near the Tullahan River. PAGASA is also monitoring a tropical cyclone outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) — a tropical storm with the international name Peilou. Peilou was located 2,200 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon as of 3 pm on Sunday, moving east southeast or away from PAR at 25 kilometers per hour (km/h). The tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h and gustiness of up to 80 km/h. While Peilou is unlikely to enter PAR, it could enhance the southwest monsoon in the coming days, according to PAGASA Weather Specialist Charmagne Varilla. The weather bureau earlier predicted that two to four tropical cyclones could develop within or enter PAR in August. So far, there have been two: Tropical Depression Luis and Tropical Storm Maymay (Kujira). Another tropical cyclone that was previously being monitored, Typhoon Dolphin, did not enter PAR but enhanced the southwest monsoon. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Sunday morning reported that the enhanced southwest monsoon, Luis, and Maymay combined have left at least six people dead and seven others injured. – Rappler.com