Cebu to see rainy spells as habagat persists through weekend

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebuanos can expect partly cloudy to cloudy skies with rainshowers or thunderstorms through the weekend as the southwest monsoon, or habagat, continues to influence weather conditions over parts of the Visayas.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Metro Cebu and the rest of Cebu province would experience generally moderate winds and moderate coastal waters from Friday, Aug. 14, through Monday, Aug. 17.

For Friday, Aug. 14, Pagasa forecast partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with rainshowers or thunderstorms over Metro Cebu and the rest of the province. Moderate winds will blow from the southwest, while coastal waters will remain moderate. Temperatures may range from 28 to 33 degrees Celsius.

On Saturday, Aug. 15, similar conditions will persist, with partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies and possible rainshowers or thunderstorms. Moderate southwest winds and moderate coastal waters will prevail, with temperatures ranging from 28 to 31 degrees Celsius.

Temperatures may dip slightly on Sunday, Aug. 16, and Monday, Aug. 17, with Pagasa forecasting a range of 27 to 33 degrees Celsius on both days. Winds will remain moderate, shifting from the southwest to west, while coastal waters will stay moderate.

LPA may strengthen habagat

The weather outlook comes as Pagasa monitors the possible formation of a low-pressure area (LPA) inside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) between Sunday and early next week.

The potential disturbance may form in the northeastern portion of the PAR and move westward, potentially strengthening the southwest monsoon.

In its 5 a.m. weather briefing Friday, Pagasa weather specialist Leanne Loreto said the potential LPA could enhance the habagat starting Sunday.

“Maaaring kumilos pakanluran at pumasok ng ating area of responsibility. Inaasahan yan between Sunday and early parts of next week,” Loreto said.

(This may move westward and enter our area of responsibility. This is expected between Sunday and early parts of next week).

“Itong potential low pressure area ay maaaring hatakin at palakasin muli ang habagat simula Sunday onwards,” she added.

(This potential low pressure area may enhance the southwest monsoon again starting Sunday onwards).

Pagasa expects the strengthened monsoon to bring heavy rainfall to parts of Luzon, with 50 to 100 millimeters of rain possible over Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, La Union, Benguet and Pangasinan on Sunday.

The state weather bureau also said the habagat would continue to bring rains over Luzon and Western Visayas on Friday, while parts of the Visayas and Mindanao might experience hotter conditions, particularly from noon through the afternoon.

Rain, thunderstorms remain possible in Cebu

Pagasa’s 4 a.m. public weather forecast on Friday said the southwest monsoon would continue to affect Luzon and the western section of the Visayas.

Antique, Occidental Mindoro and Palawan, including the Kalayaan Islands, may experience cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms due to the southwest monsoon.

The rest of the Visayas, including Cebu, may see partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms caused by localized thunderstorms and the southwest monsoon.

Pagasa warned that severe thunderstorms could trigger flash floods or landslides, particularly in areas that receive heavy rainfall.

Across the Visayas, winds will generally remain light to moderate from the south to southwest, with coastal waters ranging from slight to moderate.

Residents, motorists, and those living in flood- or landslide-prone areas should continue monitoring Pagasa advisories, especially as the potential LPA could strengthen the habagat early next week.

Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.