Localized thunderstorms may induce rain near Taal Volcano, Pagasa warns

A screenshot of a drone video provided by Phivolcs showing the upswelling of the crater lake of Taal Volcano.

MANILA, Philippines — Residents near the Taal Volcano were advised to remain vigilant about the possible effects of rains to the recent volcanic activities in the area, as state meteorologists have observed localized thunderstorms over Luzon.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in its report on Friday that isolated rains would occur in the coming hours, which may compound the situation after Taal Volcano’s phreatomagmatic eruption on Thursday.

“Magiging mataas pa rin ang tsansa ng localized at afternoon thunderstorms dito sa malaking bahagi ng Luzon, kasama na dyan ‘yong area ng Taal,” weather specialist Raymond Ordinario said.

(The chance of localized and afternoon thunderstorms here over a huge part of Luzon would still be high, and this would include areas near the Taal Volcano.)

“So ating pinapayuhan o pinapapaalalahanan ang ating mga kababayan na naninirahan malapit dito sa nag-aalburotong Bulkang Taal, na maging alerto sa mga posibleng epekto ng pag-ulan na kasabay nga nitong mga aktibidad ng Taal Volcano,” he added.

(So we are advising or reminding people living near the now-active Taal Volcano that they should be alert for the possible effects of rains alongside the volcanic activities of Taal Volcano.)

A phreatomagmatic eruption occurred in Taal Volcano on Thursday afternoon, spewing ash and other materials about a kilometer high.  Due to the activity, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised Alert Level 3 over the area, which means some barangays in nearby town of Agoncillo and Laurel in Batangas should be evacuated.

READ: Alert Level 3 raised on Taal Volcano after emitting kilometer-high phreatomagmatic plume 

Earlier, Phivolcs shared a drone footage showing continuous upwelling within Taal Volcano’s main crater lake, which means that magma or other volcanic materials is making waters rise.

Phivolcs said that the drone footage also saw plumes as high as three kilometers as Taal Volcano continues its degassing activities.

WATCH: Upwelling on Taal Volcano’s main crater lake continues 

Still, Phivolcs director Undersecretary Renato Solidum said that they do not expect a scenario similar to what happened in January 2020, when a strong phreatic explosion sent ash fall to as far as Metro Manila and Central Luzon.

READ: Phivolcs not expecting Taal Volcano to erupt like in January 2020 

JPV