Henry may bring heavy rains next week

MANILA, Philippines - Tropical Storm Henry (international name Matmo) entered the Philippine area of responsibility yesterday and is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon which may bring rains next week and trigger flashfloods and landslides in areas devastated by Typhoon Glenda.

Rene Paciente, senior weather forecaster of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said based on current forecast, Henry was not expected to make landfall in any part of the country.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the center of the storm was located at 860 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph.

It was forecast to move north northwest at nine kph.

No storm warning signals were raised as of yesterday afternoon.

Paciente said Henry, the seventh cyclone to enter the country this year, was moving slowly over the Philippine Sea due to its interaction with other weather systems.

He said the storm is likely to pick up speed once the ridge of high pressure north of it moves.

“If Henry maintains its present track, the storm was forecast to pass east of Batanes before heading to Taiwan early next week,” Paciente said.

“We may raise signal no. 2 over Batanes once Henry moves closer to the island,” he said.

He said rains from the enhanced southwest monsoon may initially affect Northern Mindanao early next week then move to the western sections of the Visayas and Western Luzon.

In Metro Manila, moderate to heavy rains are expected by Wednesday or Thursday, he added.

PAGASA said Eastern Visayas and Mindanao will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms this weekend.

The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers and thunderstorms, it said.