Commuters brave the rain with umbrellas while waiting for scarce transportation along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on a rainy Thursday morning, June 11. The state weather bureau PAGASA said a low pressure area will dump rains in Luzon which is still under quarantine due to the coronavirus.-INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — The rainy season has officially started, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Friday as tropical depression Butchoy dumped rains over parts of the country.
TD Butchoy and the southwest monsoon or “habagat” recently brought “significant amounts of rain” in the western sections of Luzon and Visayas, which “satisfied the criteria of the start of the rainy season,” PAGASA said in a statement.
This will bring “scattered to widespread rains and thunderstorms” that may be interrupted by dry periods or monsoon breaks for several days up to 2 weeks, said the weather agency.
Pagasa announced the onset of the rainy season as “Butchoy” continues to move away from Luzon.
As of 11 a.m. update, the state weather bureau said Butchoy was located 140 kilometers west northwest of Iba town in Zambales or 165 kilometres west of Dagupan City in Pangasinan.
It has maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 70 kph.
Rainy season explained
According to Pagasa, there are four climate types in the country.
Type I climate or the western regions of the country have two pronounced seasons—the dry season which is usually from November to April, and the wet season which is the rest of the year.
The three other climate types usually experiences rainshowers.
Because of this, the state weather bureau focuses in areas under Type I climate in announcing the beginning of the rainy season.
In a phone interview with INQUIRER.net, Pagasa said that if more than 50 percent of their stations in the Type I climate areas report significant amount of rain for three consecutive days in a five-day period, then it signifies the beginning of the rainy season.