The southwest monsoon, locally known as “habagat,” will keep bringing rain to several regions across the Philippines for the next two to three days, even as Typhoon Domeng prepares to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), the state weather bureau PAGASA reported on Monday.
As of 8:00 a.m., Typhoon Domeng was spotted roughly 695 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes. The storm maintains maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour near its center, with gusts topping 150 kph, as it tracks northward at a speed of 20 kph.
While PAGASA expects the typhoon to exit the PAR within the day, the weather disturbance is continuously pulling and intensifying the southwest monsoon, making it the primary weather system affecting the archipelago.
“Ang southwest monsoon ay inaasahang magtatagal ang epekto nito sa ating bansa lalo na sa Luzon at Western Visayas sa susunod na dalawa hanggang tatlong araw,” said PAGASA weather specialist Aldczar Aurelio.
Weather authorities have advised residents in high-risk zones to stay alert, noting that continuous downpours could trigger flash floods and landslides.
The enhanced monsoon is projected to bring overcast skies alongside scattered rain showers and thunderstorms to Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, the Bicol Region, Mimaropa, and Western Visayas.
Conversely, fair weather with partly cloudy to cloudy skies will prevail over the rest of the country, though isolated rain showers or thunderstorms remain possible.