More rains ahead; Pagasa spots LPA

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent .

THE Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) yesterday warned of more rains even as it said it was keeping an eye on a new weather system that could further enhance localized thunderstorms here.

A low pressure area has been spotted over the Pacific Ocean but although it is tracking away from land, the weather system is seen to enhance warm moist winds from the southwest and result in stronger localized thunderstorms, said Luz Mercado, a weather specialist at the Pagasa-Mindanao station in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental.

Mercado said the enhanced southwest monsoon would bring rains to Visayas and Luzon, and would spawn threatening localized thunderstorms in Mindanao, possibly like the one that caused floodings in the city on Tuesday.

The June 10 floods in eastern and western parts of urban Cagayan de Oro were a result of a three-hour 50-millimeter rainfall that day, a volume nearly half of what the city had in the entire month of May at the onset of the rainy season, and more than the rainfall in the months of March and April.

Compare the July 10 rainfall with the monthly rainfalls during the first six months of the year: January, 73.8 millimeters; February, 116.9; March,  40.7; April, 14.7; May, 104.9, and June 268.5.

Mercado said Tuesday’s heavy rains were neither spawned by a storm nor low pressure area; it was the result of a localized thunderstorm.

Neither is the country experiencing the La Niña phenomenon that is characterized by unusual rain.

“Basta El Niño, daghan ang  adlaw sa ting-init ug kon La Niña, daghan ang adlaw sa ting-ulan. Pero wala man tay El Niño ug wala pud tay La Niña. So, neutral ang atong weather conditions karon. Ma-o nang nagpasulabi ang mga localized thunderstorms,” Mercado explained.

Mercado warned of more flood-causing thunderstorms especially in low-lying areas in Mindanao in the coming days.

“Bisan localized thunderstorm ra ang atong weather system, magdala pa gihapon kini sa mga pagbaha,” she said.

Mercado said the formation of cumulonimbus clouds could result in heavy rains that could last for two to three hours.

Pagasa earlier said the southwest monsoon would continue to bring rains even in Visayas and Luzon.

In a forecast, Pagasa said the regions of Mimaropa and western Visayas, the provinces of Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite and Batangas would experience rains especially in the late afternoon and evening caused by the southwest monsoon.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country would have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms due to the southwest monsoon. (with reports from pna)