Rains relieve parched Metro Manila, southern Luzon

After seven consecutive weeks of dry weather, rain finally came to Metro Manila Friday morning, but offering only temporary relief before the heat in this El Niño season is expected to return. State weather forecasters said a cold front has drenched not only the metropolis but much of southern Luzon, including Bicol. The last recorded rainfall in Metro Manila was on January 22. Earlier in the day, PAGASA said a cold front is expected to provide temporary relief from the searing summer heat for residents in parts of Luzon and eastern Mindanao. [See: Cold front to give relief to Luzon, Mindanao] "Luzon will experience mostly cloudy skies with light rains while the eastern section of Mindanao will have mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms. The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to at times cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms," said PAGASA in its 5 a.m. bulletin. PAGASA earlier warned the public not to mistake the rains for an early end to summer, saying these are isolated and that hot days are due to return soon. There were a few occurences of rainfall during February but these amounted to less than 1 millimeter, and are therefore considered zero or insignificant. "The rain today does not mean that the El Niño is over, because we are still and will still experience below normal rainfall," Rusy Abastillas of the Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section of PAGASA. She said that the rain today is caused by easterlies (easterly winds) coming from the Pacific Ocean, bringing in moisture. Elated reactions to the sudden rain from various points in Luzon are being posted on GMANews.TV's Facebook fan page. According to Facebook user Gisselle Grace Aso in Dasmariñas City, Cavite, "Slight showers, paputol putol. aaraw, tapos, buuhos." "In UP Diliman, the rain drops are pretty long and compressed," said Chato Ramos. "It's like seeing needles fall from the sky. And it's awesome to see the rain after a loooong drought!" Relief was not confined to Luzon. MakiMac Rubia: "Heavy rain in Kiamba, Sarangani almost everyday."
But other parts of the country can only wish. Mervyn Parangan Bana: "Pagadian City is still so hot!" - Mark Merueñas/RSJ/HGS, GMANews.TV