LPA enhanced southwest monsoon brings rains on Luzon

A weather forecaster shows the location of super typhoon ‘Haiyan’ at the PAGASA office in Quezon City. Asti Flores / GMA News

MANILA — The weather disturbance spotted outside over western section in extreme Northern Luzon has entered the Philippine territory on Monday, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

In an interview, PAGASA weather forecaster Gladys Saludes said the Low Pressure Area (LPA) was spotted some 260 km North Northeast of Laoag City or at 70 km West of Basco, Batanes (20.8°N 121.1°E).

Citing the agency’s numerical models, Saludes said the potential cyclone will not stay long inside the country’s vicinity as it was expected to exit the PAR within 24 hours or and will move towards Taiwan.

She added that the LPA also has a slim chance of intensifying into a tropical depression.

She said PAGASA expects two to three tropical cyclones this month, wherein the first one will be named “Ester.”

However, Saludes said the potential cyclone would still bring cloudy skies with passing light to moderate rains over Northern Luzon until Tuesday.

On the other hand, she said the rest of Luzon including Metro Manila will have cloudy skies with occasional light to moderate rains due to the effects of the LPA-enhanced southwest monsoon or “hanging habagat.”

The rest of the country, he noted will continue to experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers due to localized thunderstorms.

Meanwhile, Saludes said there is a possibility that the onset of rainy season will commence this week.

She noted that aside from the presence of the southwest monsoon, which is the prevailing wind system during rainy season, four of the eight weather stations of PAGASA have already accumulated 25-millimeter rainfall for five consecutive days.

She said these stations were in Laoag, Ilocos Norte; Dagupan, Pangasinan; Iba, Zambales; and Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

“But in three consecutive dapat rainfall nila hindi baba sa one-millimeter in five station,” she told the Philippines News Agency.

She also said the other stations were Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, Ambolong, Batangas; San Jose, Mindoro; Science Garden, NAIA, and Port Area all in Metro Manila.

Saludes said that two out of the three weather stations in Metro Manila should meet the criteria. For now, Science Garden is the only station that has passed the criteria.

She noted that one more station should achieve the required criteria before the state weather bureau can declare the start of the wet season.