Rains to continue in Luzon; new LPA spotted

MANILA, Philippines - Typhoon Henry (international name Matmo) continued to move away from the country yesterday but it still enhanced the southwest monsoon which will dump rains over most parts of Luzon until Friday, the state weather bureau said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), meanwhile, spotted yesterday a new low-pressure area east of the Visayas.

The low-pressure area was spotted at 1,300 kilometers east of the Visayas as of 4 p.m.

The new weather disturbance is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility by Friday or Saturday, according to PAGASA senior weather forecaster Rene Paciente.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the eye of the typhoon was spotted at 170 kilometers north of Basco, Batanes with maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph.

It was forecast to move northwest at 24 kph.

Storm warning signal no. 2 remained hoisted over the Batanes Group of Islands as of 5 p.m. yesterday.

Signal no. 1, on the other hand, was still up in Babuyan and Calayan Group of Islands.

Paciente said the enhanced southwest monsoon will continue to bring moderate to occasionally heavy rains over the Ilocos region, Cordillera Administrative Region and the provinces of Zambales and Bataan, while the rest of Luzon and Western Visayas will experience monsoon rains.

Residents in these areas are advised to be alert against possible flashfloods and landslides.

Forecasters said Luzon residents can expect gradual improvement in the weather by Friday.

Henry is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility this morning.

Classes suspended

In Rizal, the provincial government suspended classes from preschool to high school in all public and private schools yesterday afternoon due to heavy rains spawned by Henry.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), meanwhile, has been placed on blue alert as it braces for the possible impact of Henry.

The alert status places half of the NDRRMC Operations Center personnel on standby to continuously monitor the situation.

Local disaster management units have also been ordered to undertake precautionary measures in their respective areas.  – With Alexis Romero, Non Alquitran