Heavy downpour in Cebu tomorrow with ‘Ramon’
EXPECT “very heavy rains” again in Cebu tomorrow due to tropical depression Ramon, which is heading for northern Mindanao and the Visayas.
The downpour will be heavier than last Friday evening’s rainfall, which flooded low-lying areas of Mandaue City and Cebu City, said weather observer Kelly Torregoza of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (Pag-asa) in Mactan.
“This Wednesday’s downpour would be heavier because it will deposit more rain,” Torregoza warned.
As of 10 a.m. on Monday, Ramon was spotted at 600 km east southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur moving packing 55 kph center winds.
It will hit northeaster Mindanao and the Visayas before exiting northern Palawan, Pagasa said.
The Mandaue City Council will meet today to declare a state of calamity in the city, where eight out of 27 barangays were badly hit be flooding last Friday and Saturday.
In last Friday’s downpour , Pag-asa Mactan recorded 64.5 millimeters of rain from 8 p.m until 2 a.m, which is more than double the average 15 to 25 millimeter rainfall experienced in Cebu.
About 1,000 families in Mandaue City were affected when water level rose waist deep in some parts then subsided the next day.
The heavy downpour was caused by the presence of an Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) which was intensified by the southwest monsoon and a low pressure area.
Torregosa aid the heavy rains will start tomorrow afternoon until Thursday noon, as it moves Northwest to Luzon.
“Ramon” is the 18th cyclone to enter the Philippines this year
The last two typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel” focused on mainland Luzon and dumped so much rains, causing the most destructive floods in the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga in recent years.
By today (Tuesday), the cyclone would be 300 kilometers east of Surigao del Sur.
It will be 60 km east of Surigao City by Wednesday and will be in the vicinity of Iloilo City on Thursday.
“Very heavy rains” in northern Mindanao and Visayas could be seen starting Wednesday due to Ramon, said Science Undersecretary Graciano Yumul Jr.
The rains from Ramon would not be as heavy though as the rains from Pedring and Quiel, which topped at 25 mm/ hr.
He said Ramon’s rain would be moderate to heavy at 5-20 mm/hr.
A calamity declaration will allow the local government to tap disaster funds.
It will also help the city prepare for upcoming typhoons said Mandaue City Administrator James Abadia.
He said drainage canals and culverts will be reinspected since the old passageways could no longer hold the volume.
Eight Mandaue barangays were hit by flashfloods last Friday – Basak, Tabok, Tingub, Pagsabungan, Guizo, Subangdaku, Mantuyong and Banilad, affecting about 1,000 families. Reporters Candeze R. Mongaya and Jucell Marie P. Cuyos
