‘Florita,’ habagat to bring rain to Luzon

Parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, may experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rain due to the trough of Tropical Storm “Florita” and the southwest monsoon (habagat), the weather bureau said Sunday.

In a bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that as of 3 a.m., Florita was 700 kilometers east-northeast of Basco, Batanes, packing maximum winds of 85 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 105 kph.

Pagasa said the storm was not expected to make landfall.  It is also projected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility on Sunday afternoon, moving north-northwest at  22 kph.

Pagasa warned Luzon residents of possible flashfloods and landslides and occasionally heavy rain.  Meanwhile, isolated rainshowers may affect the rest of the country due to localized thunderstorms.

A gale warning was also issued for the northern seaboard of Luzon, as the sea may be rough to very rough with waves reaching as high as 3.4 to 4.5 meters.  Fishing boats and other small seacraft were advised against sailing. /cbb