The southwest monsoon, locally known as “habagat,” is set to dump scattered rain showers across sections of western Luzon, though the majority of the Philippines can look forward to largely fair weather conditions, the state weather bureau announced on Sunday.
According to the 24-hour public weather forecast from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the habagat will trigger cloudy skies accompanied by scattered rains and thunderstorms over the Ilocos Region, Bataan, and Zambales.
Residents living in vulnerable areas within these regions are advised to remain vigilant, as moderate to occasionally heavy downpours could spark flash floods or landslides.
Meanwhile, the state weather bureau noted that the Cordillera Administrative Region, the Babuyan Islands, and Batanes will experience partly cloudy to cloudy conditions, with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms driven by the same monsoon system.
For Metro Manila and the remaining portions of the archipelago, generally fair weather with partly cloudy to cloudy skies will prevail. Any rain showers or thunderstorms in these areas will be isolated and brief, likely developing during the afternoon or evening due to localized thunderstorms. PAGASA cautioned that severe instances of these localized storms could still cause isolated flooding or landslides.
Light to moderate winds blowing from the south to southwest are anticipated nationwide. Consequently, coastal waters across the country are expected to stay slight to moderate, with wave heights hovering between 0.6 and 1.8 meters.
Currently, no gale warnings are in effect for any Philippine coastline. Furthermore, weather forecasters stated they are not tracking any low-pressure areas either inside or outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).