Rainy Saturday in Luzon as Dodong exits; storm signals lifted

MANILA – The storm-enhanced southwest monsoon or “habagat” will continue to bring widespread rains and gusty winds in most parts of Luzon, the weather bureau said Saturday.

In its 4 a.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said monsoon rains will be experienced over the Ilocos Region, Mimaropa (Region 4B), Zambales and Bataan due to Tropical Depression (TD) Dodong and the enhanced southwest monsoon.

Meanwhile, occasional rains will be felt over Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, and Western Visayas due to the southwest monsoon.

PAGASA said cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms will prevail over Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region, Bicol Region and the rest of Central Luzon and of Calabarzon (Region 4A).

The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

Wind signals lifted

PAGASA said all storm signals have been lifted even as Dodong maintains its strength over the West Philippine Sea.

As of 3 a.m. Saturday, the center of TD Dodong was estimated based on all available data at 260 km West of Sinait, Ilocos Sur (17.7°N, 118.0°E) with maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 70 kph.

It is moving westward at 20 kph, and may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) between Saturday afternoon and early morning of Sunday.

Strong to gale force winds that will bring rough to very rough sea conditions are expected to affect the western seaboard of Luzon (Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, the western coast of Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Island and the western coast of Palawan including Kalayaan Islands.

Fishing boats and other small seacraft are advised not to venture out into the sea while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves.

The rest of Luzon and the Visayas will have moderate to rough sea, while Mindanao will experience slight to moderate sea conditions. (PNA)