Cloudy skies, rains expected across PH on Saturday — Pagasa
MANILA, Philippines— Cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms due to the southwest monsoon are expected in Luzon, and in western areas of Visayas and Mindanao, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported on Saturday (May 21).
The state weather bureau asked residents of Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Batanes, Cagayan, Zambales, and Bataan to prepare for possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to at times heavy rains within the day.
“Patuloy ang mga pag-ulan hindi lang dito sa Luzon, dito rin po sa kanlurang parte ng Visayas and Mindanao dahil sa habagat. Dala po ng habagat ang maraming moisture galing dito sa may Indian Ocean and West Philippine Sea kaya nagkakaroon ng mga kaulapan at ‘yung mga kalat-kalat na pag-ulan and thunderstorms,” Pagasa weather specialist Benison Estareja said in an early morning forecast.
(The rainy weather will continue not just here in Luzon, but also in the western parts of Visayas and Mindanao due to the southwest monsoon, which brings a lot of moisture from areas near the Indian Ocean and the West Philippine Sea. The cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms are caused by the southwest monsoon.)
The rest of the country will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rains or thunderstorms. Pagasa warned that severe thunderstorms in these areas may also trigger flash floods or landslides.
Despite consistent rain showers this week, Estareja reiterated that no low-pressure area or storm is seen entering the Philippine area of responsibility in the next five days.
No gale warning has been raised by Pagasa, indicating it was safe for sea travel across the country although moderate to rough coastal waters may be expected over the seaboards of extreme Northern Luzon.
