Pagasa: Heavy rainfall over Metro Manila, other parts of Luzon, Visayas

MANILA, Philippines — A low-pressure area (LPA) west of Northern Luzon continues to intensify the southwest monsoon or “Habagat,” bringing rain to various parts of the country including Metro Manila.

According to the latest weather updates from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Sunday afternoon, the LPA located 190 kilometers west southwest of Sinait in Ilocos Sur continues to pull cloud bands brought by Habagat.

These cloud bands cover almost the entire Luzon and parts of the Visayas.  A heavy rainfall warning advisory was raised in various areas, with an orange warning in Zambales to signal that floods are threatening in various areas.

Metro Manila, Bulacan, and Bataan on the other hand are under a yellow rainfall warning which indicates that flooding is possible in low-lying areas.  Meanwhile, parts of Tarlac, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Quezon would experience light to moderate and sometimes heavy rains in the next three hours.

The rest of the country will still have cloudy skies and isolated rains due to the cloud bands.

Another LPA was spotted 735 kilometers east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, but it does not yet have a direct effect on the country’s weather systems.

But according to wind patterns used by Pagasa, this LPA would move closer to Eastern Visayas, and may develop into a tropical depression within the next 24 to 48 hours.  This may be announced in Pagasa’s early Monday morning forecasts and in subsequent forecasts.