MANILA, Philippines — There’s good news to open the second half of the year, as the water level in Angat Dam went up again, this time by more than a meter, due to the almost continuous rains brought by the southwest monsoon.
On Monday, its elevation was recorded at 159.85 meters above sea level (masl), up by 1.21 meters from the previous day, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
The state weather bureau, however, still advised those reeling from the water shortage to conserve as much water as they can, as it is expecting a monsoon break by midweek that will usher in generally fairer weather conditions.
Pagasa senior weather specialist Chris Perez said the current episode of the southwest monsoon, or “habagat,” could persist until Wednesday then go into a break that will last for three days to one or two weeks.
This break means better weather conditions, compared to the moderate to heavy rainfall experienced in many parts of the country in the past few days.
“If the previous two storms made landfall, there would have been significant rise in the water level [in Angat Dam],” he said in a press briefing on Monday. “While we had some increase, it’s not enough. We need more rain.”
Dry watershed
Perez explained that since the area around the watershed was dry, the initial rainfall was first absorbed by the dry land. “Only until the land has been saturated that the succeeding rains will finally go down the reservoir,” he said. Sunday marked the first rise in the elevation in Angat, which slightly went up by 0.68 meter.
Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Central Luzon will still experience monsoon rains on Tuesday, according to Pagasa. Visayas and the rest of Luzon will have cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms.
The same weather conditions may continue until Wednesday.
Tropical Depression “Egay,” which has been enhancing the southwest monsoon, weakened into a low pressure area (LPA) on Monday. It was spotted 190 kilometers east-northeast of Calayan, Cagayan province, as of press time.
It remained almost stationary throughout the day but was forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Tuesday night.
While tropical cyclone warning signal No. 1 was raised only over Batanes and the Babuyan Group of Islands on Monday, heavy rainfall warning was hoisted over many parts of Metro Manila, prompting several local governments to suspend classes.
Weather specialist Benison Estareja said Pagasa monitoring stations recorded the most rainfall from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Subic, Zambales; Clark, Pampanga; and Tanay, Rizal. Rainfall was listed at 22 millimeters, 20 mm and 17 mm, respectively.
Less rainfall is expected in these areas in the next two days.
Another LPA that was still outside the country’s area of responsibility was spotted at 375 kilometers west of Ilocos Sur province as of 5 p.m. on Monday. It is not expected to have any direct effect on the country as it would likely head toward southern China or northern Vietnam.