Southwest Monsoon Triggers Rainfall, Flood and Landslide Warnings Across Philippines

The southwest monsoon is expected to bring rainfall across Luzon, Visayas, and parts of Mindanao in the next 24 hours, heightening risks of flooding and landslides, especially in high-risk areas, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Wednesday. In a 5:00 p.m. weather advisory, PAGASA said that intense downpours, or rainfall between 100 to 200 millimeters (mm), are expected in Occidental Mindoro. Heavy downpours, or rainfall between 50 to 100 mm, are likely in nearly 30 areas including Metro Manila, Pangasinan, La Union, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Aurora, Zambales, Bataan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan. It is likewise expected in Rizal, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Catanduanes, Aklan and Antique. “That is why we are continuing to advise our fellowmen to be cautious and be alert over risks of flooding and landslide,” Chenel Dominguez, PAGASA weather specialist, said in a 5:00 p.m. press briefing in Filipino. Meanwhile, Southwest monsoon-induced thunderstorms are also likely over the rest of Luzon and Visayas, as well as in Zamboanga Peninsula, and Northern Mindanao, PAGASA said in a separate 4:00 p.m. forecast. The rest of Mindanao could be drenched by localized thunderstorms. PAGASA said that no low pressure areas (LPA) are being monitored inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility, but is monitoring some shallow circulations that have the potential to develop into LPA. — Edg Adrian A. Eva