The southwest monsoon is currently affecting Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, causing widespread cloudy skies, scattered rains, and thunderstorms, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported on Monday.
PAGASA weather specialist Obet Badrina warned of possible flash floods and landslides in these areas due to moderate to heavy rains. Affected regions include Visayas, Mimaropa, the Bicol Region, the Zamboanga Peninsula, Quezon, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.
Meanwhile, Metro Manila, along with the rest of Calabarzon and Mindanao, is expected to experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms. PAGASA cautions that severe thunderstorms could still result in flash floods or landslides.
In the rest of Luzon, partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms are anticipated due to localized thunderstorms, posing similar risks of flooding and landslides.
PAGASA is also monitoring Typhoon Shanshan, which as of 3:00 a.m. today was located 1,490 kilometers east-northeast of extreme Northern Luzon. The typhoon has maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h near its center and gusts up to 170 km/h. It is currently moving west-northwestward at 25 km/h.
“Itong si bagyong Shanshan, sa ngayon ay wala itong tsansa na pumasok sa ating PAR,” Badrina said.
Despite its proximity, Typhoon Shanshan remains outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) and is not expected to directly impact the country’s weather at this time.
PAGASA reported that winds over Northern and Central Luzon will be light to moderate, coming from the northwest, with coastal waters expected to be slight to moderate, ranging from 0.6 to 1.5 meters.
For the rest of the country, light to moderate winds will blow from the southwest, with coastal waters also expected to be slight to moderate, ranging from 0.6 to 1.5 meters.
