Pagasa: Rainy Christmas for Cebu

Cebuanos may expect a wet Christmas day this year.

A Low Pressure Area was spotted 1,000 kilometers away from the Philippines. It may  enter the country tonight, bringing in more rain and strong winds that will linger on till Dec. 25 and 26, said  Pag-asa Mactan weather analyst Al Quiblat.

If it intensifies into a tropical depression, the storm will be called  Quintang, the 17th and possibly last storm for the country this year.

Last Friday’s rains were caused by an inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) enhanced by the northwest monsoon affecting the Visayas and Mindanao.

Quiblat advised church goers to bring umbrellas, raincoats and jackets especially during Simbang Gabi or dawn Masses.

Engr. Oscar Tabada, Pag-asa Mactan chief, said moderate to heavy rains will fall over the Visayas on Christmas.

He also alerted local government units and public for possible floods and landslides.

Sea vessels are alerted against big waves of three to six meters high.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he already ordered staff to  set up two command centers at his office and at barangay Mambaling for a storm watch.

According to the accuweather website, Cebu will experience partly sunny to slight rains today and tomorrow.

Heavy rainfall last Friday morning fell in parts of Metro Cebu.

Pag-asa Mactan recorded 26 mm volume of water in less than 30 minutes.  Correspondent Fe Marie D. Dumaboc