Bring your umbrellas: Habagat rains to continue over the weekend
Until when will the rains brought about by the southwest monsoon or habagat last?
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said it should lessen during the weekend, or starting Aug. 31.
In a Facebook livestream of its 4.a.m. forecast on Wednesday, Aug. 28, PAGASA weather specialist Obet Badrina said a huge part of the country will experience "generally fair weather with the usual isolated rain showers and thunderstorms."
Badrina noted that there's no tropical cyclone entering or forming within the Philippine Area of Responsibility.
The 4 a.m. forecast states that the habagat will bring certain areas with the following:
Occasional rains
- Metro Manila
- Zambales
- Bataan
- Tarlac
- Pampanga
- Cavite
- Batangas
- Occidental Mindoro
- Palawan
- Antique
Cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms
- La Union
- Pangasinan
- Benguet
- Bicol
- Visayas
- Central Luzon
- Calabarzon
- Mimaropa
The rest of the country, meanwhile, will have cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.
PAGASA said the current weather conditions may bring possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to heavy rains.
Since the night of Aug. 27, there have been continuous rains in Metro Manila.
In Manila City, gutter-deep floods were reported in areas like Adriatico, Padre Faura, P. Ocampo, Taft, and España on Aug. 28 at around 5 a.m.
In Quezon City, gutter- to knee-deep floods were reported along Biak-na-bato, Quezon Avenue, NS Amoranto, and Maria Clara on Aug. 28 at around 4 a.m. Knee-deep floods prevented vehicles from passing through Sto. Domingo.
Marikina, meanwhile, said that as of 9 a.m., Marikina River is at the normal level of 13.9 meters. Yellow alert (prepare) will be raised if it reaches 15 meters, orange (evacuate) if 16 meters, and red (forced evacuation) if 18 meters.
La Mesa Dam in Quezon City, meanwhile, reached 80.16 meters at 5 a.m. and overflowed due to the rains.
PAGASA, in its hydrological situationer at 5.30 a.m., said low-lying areas along Tullahan River from Quezon City, Valenzuela, and Malabon are going to get affected.
“All the residents living in the aforementioned areas especially those near the river banks are advised to be alert for further increase of water level along Tullahan River,” the agency said.
Malacañang suspended classes in public schools and work in government offices in Metro Manila due to the habagat. The capital also suspended classes in private schools.
The Metro Manila Development Authority has likewise suspended number coding in the capital due to the habagat.