‘Josie’ to exit PAR on Monday morning; monsoon rains to persist

Even as Tropical Depression “Josie” makes its way out of the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), Metro Manila and several Luzon provinces would still be affected by rain showers due to the intensified southwest monsoon.

According to a recent forecast by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Josie is forecast to exit PAR on Monday morning, at a distance of 585 kilometers north of Basco, Batanes.

Josie is currently located at the Bashi Channel, 170 kilometers northeast of Basco, moving in a north northeastern pattern with a speed of 25 kilometers per hour. It has maximum sustained winds of 60 kilometers per hour near the center, and gustiness of up to 75 kilometers per hour.

Occasional rains and gusty winds are expected over Batanes and the Babuyan Group of Islands, which are still under Signal #1.

However, even with the weather disturbance outside of the country, residents of Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Mindoro provinces, Northern Palawan, and Western Visayas may experience scattered rains due to the southwest monsoon.

Pagasa also warned of possible flooding and landslides in the said areas. As of 10 a.m., rainfall warnings have been raised in Laguna and Rizal (yellow); Metro Manila, Batangas, and Cavite (orange); and Zambales and Bataan (red).

Fishermen with small sea crafts are also advised against venturing into the seas, especially the seaboards of Northern and Central Luzon, as waves as high as 1.25 to 4.0 meters may occur. /je