More rains threaten floods, slides in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines—A band of thick clouds over the Pacific Ocean threatens to turn into another low pressure area that could dump rainfall strong enough to trigger flash floods and landslides in eastern and southern Mindanao, including Compostela Valley.

The clouds east of Mindanao could gain strength over the ocean and would likely turn into a low pressure area (LPA) before it enters the Philippine area of responsibility  by today, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

If it develops into a full-blown LPA, it would bring cloudiness with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms over Surigao, Agusan and Davao provinces in eastern Mindanao, and Compostela Valley in southern Mindanao from Sunday to Monday.

“We could experience flash floods and landslides in the eastern and southern parts of Mindanao,” forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said in an interview.

Mindanao, however, will have a respite from heavy rain, and experience “fair weather” albeit briefly between yesterday and today, Aurelio said.

LPAs have been developing off

Mindanao the past several days because of the strong northeast monsoon (Amihan) in Luzon that has been pushing clouds southward toward Mindanao, Pagasa Supervising Undersecretary Graciano Yumul said.

“The northeast monsoon is so strong that the tail end of the cold front and almost all rain-bearing cloud bands and LPAs are pushed south. This affects mostly Mindanao where rains are dumped,” he said in a text message.

“In the event than an area will be under a combined tail end of the cold front system and an LPA situation, extreme rainfall can be expected,” he added.

After days of rain, a mining community in Pantukan, Compostela Valley, was hit by a landslide before dawn Thursday, killing at least 25 residents.

Yumul said that La Niña has peaked and would last until May, but its effect on the country could be felt until August this year.

The tail end of the cold front, a convergence of the northeast monsoon and winds from the east, would bring cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms in southern Luzon and Visayas.

“Metro Manila will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with light rains in the next three days due to the northeast monsoon,” Yumul said.