Farms in northern Philippines inundated by monsoon rains

Satellite image of Typhoon Jose / Halong (Wikipedia photo)

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Typhoon Jose (International code name Halong)  – although not expected to hit the country directly – has made its presence felt, intensifying the effect of seasonal monsoon rains across the archipelago.

The heavy rains, while causing monster traffic jams in Metro Manila, also turned many farming villages in the north to virtual swamps.

Meanwhile, rough seas were blamed for the sinking of a tugboat a tugboat last weekend just off the province of Batangas. Luckily, the tugboat’s three crewmen were rescued members of the coast guard.

The local weather bureau said that Jose, which is forecast to exit the Philippine area of responsibility on Thursday, is packing sustained winds of 165 kilometers (102 miles) per hour and gusts up to 200 kph (124 mph). as of the last weather update, it was moving over the Pacific about 840 kilometers (522 miles) east of northern Cagayan province and is expected to move toward southern Japan this week.

Jose is the 10th tropical storm to hammer the Philippines this year.