PAGASA: Cloudy to rainy weather due to southwest monsoon

MANILA, Philippines — Most parts of the country will continue experiencing cloudy to rainy weather today because of the southwest monsoon, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

The weather system will bring occasional rains in the Ilocos Region, estimated to be between 50 to 100 millimeters per hour that could cause “possible flashfloods or landslides due to moderate to at times heavy rains,” the state weather agency said in its 24-hour public weather forecast yesterday.

The same weather system will prevail over the regions of Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Negros Island, the Zamboanga Peninsula and Bangsamoro, wherein they will experience cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms.

The southwest monsoon will also bring “partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms” over the rest of the country.

Moderate to strong winds and coastal waters will prevail over the northern and western areas of Luzon, while the rest of the country will experience light to moderate winds and coastal waters.

PAGASA reported Severe Tropical Storm Danas was located outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) at 705 kilometers north of Itbayat in Batanes, also north of Taiwan.

It carried maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 115 kph, and was moving farther north northeast at 20 kph.

Danas will no longer affect weather conditions in the country, according to PAGASA weather specialist Veronica Torres.

On the other hand, Torres reported the agency are monitoring a cluster of clouds outside PAR, east of the country.

Also, in its tropical cyclone threat potential forecast, PAGASA said two tropical cyclone-like vortices both have “low” chances of forming both outside and inside PAR at two-week intervals, or from yesterday to July 13 and from July 14 to 20.

The agency sees no threat of tropical cyclone potential during this time, it noted.

27,000 families

More than 27,000 families in Luzon were affected by the combined effects of Typhoon Danas and the southwest monsoon, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said yesterday.

The NDRRMC said 27,401 families or 82,548 persons were affected by the two weather disturbances.

Most of the affected were in Central Luzon (26,711 families), followed by the Ilocos Region (617 families) and Cordillera Administrative Region (73 families).

The Office of Civil Defense said 38 areas in Luzon were flooded due to heavy rains brought by Danas and the southwest monsoon.

OCD officer-in-charge Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said that no casualties or missing persons were reported.

Malabon flooded

At least 11 roads in Malabon were flooded yesterday due to continuous rains, prompting the suspension of face-to-face classes in all levels.
At around 4 a.m., the local government reported varying flood levels in several barangays.

In Barangay Hulong Duhat, floodwaters reached four inches along Naval Women’s Club and two inches along Basilio Women’s Club.
In Brgy. Ibaba, flood depth along C. Arellano Street reached seven inches. Brgy. San Agustin flooding was recorded at two inches along Rizal Avenue and Gen. Luna Avenue, three inches along Sacristia Street and two inches at the F. Sevilla Exit. In Brgy. Panghulo, Panghulo Road was submerged in four inches of floodwater.
Several roads were not passable to light vehicles due to deeper flooding. In Brgy. Acacia, the area along Gov. Pascual and Maria Clara had a depth of 10 inches. 
In Brgy. Catmon, the intersection of Gov. Pascual and Sitio 6 also saw floodwaters rise to 10 inches.

In Brgy. San Agustin, flood levels reached 10 inches at both F. Sevilla corner Strella and C. Arellano.
By noon, updated reports showed flood levels had subsided, and all previously affected roads had become passable to all types of vehicles.

Malabon Mayor Jeannie Sandoval suspended face-to-face classes in all public and private schools on Monday following the recommendation of the city’s disaster risk reduction and education departments. 

Classes continued through the alternative delivery mode using asynchronous learning.

The city government deployed free ride services for stranded commuters.

Local governments in Pangasinan also suspended classes yesterday in their respective areas due to the inclement weather.

Mayors in the towns of Aguilar, Bani, Bugallon, Lingayen, Mangatarem, Natividad, Rosales, Santa Maria, Sual, Umingan and Urbiztondo suspended classes in all levels of public and private schools.

Classes from pre-school to senior high school were suspended in the towns of Asingan, Basista, Binmaley, Labrador and San Quintin.

Most of the local chief executives encouraged a shift to alternative learning modes due to face-to-face class suspensions.

Meanwhile, classes in all levels of public and private schools – as well as work in public offices – in Ilocos Sur were suspended yesterday. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Cesar Ramirez