PAGASA: Widespread rains may cause flashfloods in Mindanao

While El Niño is still in the country, widespread rains that may cause flash floods and landslides might occur in Mindanao, the state weather agency said Friday. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said "Visayas and Mindanao will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms becoming widespread rains over the eastern section of Mindanao, which may trigger flash floods and landslides," it said in its 5 a.m. bulletin. In recent past weeks, the El Niño weather pattern was among the reasons cited for the power crisis in Mindanao, as power plants there are highly dependent on water that went scarce since long dry spells hit the country. [See: El Niño, lack of govt support blamed for Mindanao energy crisis] Meanwhile, PAGASA said the rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms mostly late in the day, or evening. Light to moderate winds blowing from the East to Southeast will prevail over Luzon and the Visayas. — LBG, GMANews.TV