No more storm low pressure area headed for Cebu dissipates

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu is no longer under the threat of a typhoon.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) 7 announced yesterday that the low pressure area earlier feared to develop into a tropical storm has already dissipated yesterday morning.

However, Cebu is expected to experience scattered rainshowers but these are no longer as frequent and persistent as what was experienced last week.

As of 5 p.m. yesterday, the Pagasa weather bulletin said that rain showers are caused by the northeast monsoon prevailing over Luzon with wind convergence affecting Mindanao and some parts of the Visayas.

“Northern Luzon will experience mostly cloudy skies with rains while the rest of Luzon will have partly cloudy skies with light rains. Visayas and Mindanao will be cloudy with scattered to widespread rainshowers and thunderstorms which may trigger flashfloods and landslides,” the Pagasa stated in its weather bulletin.

Boy Artiaga, Pagasa 7 Weather Observer IV, said that the scattered rainshowers Cebu is experiencing is still part of northeast monsoon season that will stay until next month.

Instances of heavy rain fall are also part of the La Niña phenomenon which the country may experience until March.

Artiaga said that it is fortunate that no tropical storm hit the country this month when usually, a tropical storm hits the first month of the year.

Though there is no more threat of a typhoon, Artiaga said the public must stay alert because they could not predict when and how heavy the downpour will be.

“Magbantay lang gihapon ta kay di nato ma-predict unsa kakusog ang ulan. Di man nato mabantayan kung kusug ba ang ulan sa bukid kay dia man ta sa syudad. Kinahanglan alerto ta, kung tan-aw gani nato nga dag-om sa kabukiran, posible nga kusug ang ulan didto nga pwede mahinungdan og baha,” Artiaga said. (We should continue to be watchful even if it’s not raining in the city because there could be heavy rains over the mountains, and these will bring floods to lower areas.) — (FREEMAN)