Luis enters Philippines, to bring rains

MANILA, Philippines - Tropical Storm Luis entered the Philippines yesterday and is expected to bring rains in northern Luzon and other parts of the country.

Luis entered as a tropical depression at 5 a.m. and developed into a tropical storm at 2 p.m., the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Luis was spotted at 660 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes with maximum winds of 65 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 80 kph.

The cyclone is expected to move west-northwest at 26 kph, and is to leave the Philippine area of responsibility on Tuesday.

PAGASA senior weather forecaster Rene Paciente said Luis might make landfall in Cagayan or Isabela on Sunday evening or early Monday.

“We are urging those in Northern Luzon to prepare because they will be affected by the storm,” Paciente said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo.

“We expect rains in the next few days because Luis will enhance the southwest monsoon,” he added.

Mimaropa, Bicol, the Visayas, Mindanao and the province of Quezon will experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms.

Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, meanwhile, will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

Paciente said Luis might also bring heavy rains in southern Luzon and the Visayas today that could lead to possible floods and landslides.

Southern Luzon, the Visayas and parts of Metro Manila are likely to experience rains this evening and on Sunday morning. Rains will also be felt in northern and central Luzon on Sunday evening.

No public storm signals have been raised as of yesterday afternoon.

However, moderate to strong winds blowing from the southwest to west will prevail over southern Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the southwest to south with slight to moderate seas.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) yesterday raised its alert status to blue as Luis slightly intensified as it entered the Philippine Sea.

Under blue alert, all disaster units are placed on standby for possible deployment.

NDRRMC administrator and Office of Civil Defense executive director Alexander Pama said in a press briefing that the public and concerned disaster risk reduction and management councils have been advised to take appropriate action and to continuously monitor the prevailing weather system.

In the event of imminent danger, disaster officials are under orders to undertake precautionary measures, including the conduct of pre-emptive evacuation of residents in low-lying and mountainous areas. With Jaime Laude