PAGASA terminates heavy rainfall warning over Metro Manila, 11 areas

MANILA, Philippines - After Tropical Depression "Ruby" continued to weaken, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Tuesday terminated its heavy rainfall warnings over Metro Manila and several nearby provinces.

In a 3 p.m. update, PAGASA said only light to moderate rains are affecting Batangas, Metro Manila, Tarlac, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon, Pampanga, Bulacan, Bataan, Zambales and Nueva Ecija.

PAGASA said the rains may persist within three hours.

"With this development, all heavy rainfall warnings over these areas [are] now terminated," the agency said.

The weather bureau had issued heavy and even intense rainfall warnings for the said areas on Monday due to Ruby, which was still then a typhoon.

But as of Tuesday afternoon, there are no longer rainfall warnings and storm signals hoisted in any part of the country after Ruby weakened into a tropical storm and later, a tropical depression.

PAGASA spotted the cyclone's center at 135 kilometers west northwest of Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro at 10 a.m. today.

Ruby was packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center.

It was moving west at 13 kph and was expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by early Thursday morning.

Metro Manila and nearby provinces would have improved weather condition starting Wednesday, PAGASA said.