Habagat to Bring Rains Over Luzon and Western Visayas on Thursday

Manila: The southwest monsoon or habagat will bring occasional rains to parts of Luzon and the western Visayas, while a low-pressure area (LPA) was spotted east of Northern Luzon, the state weather bureau said Thursday. In its 4 a.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the LPA was last located at 3 a.m. about 1,030 kilometers east of northern Luzon. The southwest monsoon is affecting Luzon and the western section of the Visayas. According to Philippines News Agency, Zambales and Occidental Mindoro will experience occasional rains due to the habagat, with moderate to heavy rains potentially triggering flash floods and landslides, PAGASA said. Cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms will prevail over Metro Manila, the Ilocos Region, the Cordillera Administrative Region, the rest of Central Luzon, Batanes, Cavite, Batangas, Rizal, Palawan, Antique, Iloilo, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental. Moderate to at times heavy rains in these a reas may also cause flash floods and landslides. The rest of Luzon, as well as Aklan, Capiz, and Negros Oriental, will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to the habagat. The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms caused by localized thunderstorms. PAGASA warned that severe thunderstorms could trigger flash floods and landslides. Moderate to strong southwesterly winds will prevail over Luzon and the western section of the Visayas, bringing moderate to rough coastal waters with waves 1.5 to 3.4 meters high. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate from the south to southwest, with slight to moderate coastal waters and waves 0.6 to 2.1 meters high.