Enhanced monsoon to cause heavy rains, floods

MANILA, Philippines - State weathermen advised yesterday residents of Southern Luzon, including Metro Manila, to brace for heavy rains and floods by Wednesday or Thursday due to the southwest monsoon enhanced by Tropical Depression Emong.

Leny Ruiz, weather forecaster at the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said the enhanced southwest monsoon will bring moderate to heavy rains over Southern Luzon as well as the metropolis starting tomorrow.

He said the agency may raise storm warning signals in areas along the eastern section of Luzon and the Visayas this morning as Emong is expected to intensify further in the next 24 to 48 hours as it moves closer to Virac, Catanduanes.

“But by Wednesday or Thursday, floods could again hit parts of Metro Manila as rains would be more intense and frequent due to the enhanced southwest monsoon,” he said.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Emong was spotted at 250 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center.

Emong is predicted to be 230 km northeast of Virac this morning; 330 km east of Aparri, Cagayan tomorrow morning and 400 km northeast of Basco, Batanes by Thursday morning.

The weather bureau said the rest of Luzon will experience partly cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms.