PAGASA: Rains loom over parts of Luzon, Mindanao

A low-pressure area (LPA) northwest of extreme northern Luzon and an inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) may bring rains over parts of Luzon and Mindanao. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the two weather systems would also make the country’s skies cloudy. "The whole country will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms becoming cloudy with widespread rains over the western section of Northern and Central Luzon and Eastern Mindanao which may trigger flashfloods and landslides," PAGASA said in its 5 a.m. bulletin. It said the LPA was estimated at 380 km Northwest of Basco, Batanes as of 2 a.m. Saturday. Metro Manila will still have 35 to 37-degree Celsius weather this weekend, according to PAGASA's extended weather forecast. Temperatures in Tuguegarao City will range from 22 to 36 degrees during the weekend, it added. PAGASA said moderate to strong winds blowing from the south to southwest will prevail over Northern Luzon and coming from the southeast to south over Central Luzon. Floods in Metro After a downpour that caught many residents by surprise Friday night, floods remained in parts of Metro Manila early Saturday. In Quezon City, radio dzBB reported early Saturday that parts of East Avenue and the Quezon Memorial Circle were still flooded, hours after the rains stopped. Some sidewalks in the area were not passable, even as light vehicles and motorcycles had to go slow lest their engines stall. A heavy downpour caused floods and snarled traffic in parts of Metro Manila Friday night, leaving many commuters stranded. PAGASA forecaster Cris Perez said the rains were part of a localized thunderstorm. Gutter-deep or thigh-high floods were reported Friday night in parts of Quezon City, Manila and southern Metro Manila. These included EDSA Aurora, EDSA-Baliwag, Balintawak Cloverleaf underpass, and Tandang Sora. Some parts of downtown Manila were also flooded as some drainage systems were clogged with garbage. On the other hand, traffic was snarled along parts of Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA), with slippery roads causing at least one traffic accident near Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City. Traffic was also tight at West Avenue to the Metro Rail Transit in North Avenue in Quezon City due to road re-blocking work. Flood-prone areas Meanwhile, Philippine Coast Guard has started monitoring critical areas in Metro Manila in preparation for the rainy season. Radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo ordered a full watch on such areas especially once classes start June 15. He said the flood-prone areas they will watch include Marikina, Pasig River, Malabon, Quezon City, Parañaque and Taguig. Tamayo said they have some 300 Special Operations Group divers and medical teams along with rubber boats and satellite phones. — LBG, GMANews.TV