String of low pressure areas to bring rains this week

MANILA, Philippines—The country is up for another wet week as a string of low pressure areas (LPAs) is expected to bring rain showers across the country, the weather bureau said.

Areas in Mindanao and the western seaboard of Luzon and the Visayas would feel the effects of the weather systems this coming week, said Graciano Yumul, supervising science undersecretary for the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

“For this week, there will be a series of low pressures embedded within the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), with Mindanao mostly in the receiving end,” said Yumul on Sunday.

Per PAGASA’s monitoring on Sunday, an active low-pressure area was estimated to be some 90 kilometers away from Dipolog City, moving northwest out of the Philippine area of responsibility.

PAGASA placed the LPA over the Sulu Sea by Sunday afternoon.

“The western section of southern Luzon and of Visayas and the whole of Mindanao will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms. The rest of Luzon and of Visayas will have partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening,” PAGASA said in its forecast.

PAGASA warned that rains “may trigger flashfloods and landslides” in affected areas.

The southwest monsoon is also expected to bring afternoon rains over parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila and the Visayas.

“If there will be no change, Wednesday and Friday will be wet within Palawan, Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Bondoc Peninsula and Bicol,” Yumul said.