Weather expected to improve Sunday – PAGASA

Monsoon rains will still persist over most parts of Luzon and Visayas this weekend as typhoon "Lekima" (formerly "Hanna") continues to enhance the southwest monsoon after leaving the Philippine area of responsibility Friday.

Based on the data gathered by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the

center of Lekima was last spotted 645 kilometers north northeast of Basco, Batanes.

A slightly weakened Hanna exited PAR around 12:30 a.m. Friday with maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 215 kilometers per hour, moving north northwest at 20 kilometers per hour and is likely to make landfall on the eastern part of mainland China, PAGASA said.

PAGASA Weather Specialist Ariel Rojas noted that even if Lekima is now outside PAR, it still enhances the southwest monsoon (habagat) that continues to dump rains across the country, especially on most parts of Luzon and Visayas.

PAGASA said moderate to heavy monsoon rains will prevail over Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Batanes, Babuyan Group of Islands, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro and northern part of Palawan including Cuyo and Calamian islands.

Light to moderate with intermittent heavy monsoon rains will be experienced over Metro Manila, Western Visayas, Central Luzon, MIMAROPA, and the rest of Calabarzon.

The state weather bureau warned residents in the said areas of possible flash floods or landslides.

Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms are expected over the rest of the country.

Improved weather conditions on most parts of the country is expected by Sunday, except in the Ilocos Region and Cordillera Administrative Region which will continue to experience cloudy skies with scattered light to moderate rains.

The weather agency is also monitoring another typhoon named Krosa (international name) about 500 kilometers away from the eastern boundary of PAR.

As of 4 a.m. Friday, Krosa was 1,990 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon with maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 190 kilometers per hour.

Rojas said Krosa has a slim chance of entering PAR slowly moving eastward and will not have an effect on any part of the country.

No other weather disturbance is expected to enter the country within 3 to 5 days, Rojas added.

Rough seas

Meanwhile, strong gale force winds associated with the southwest monsoon and Lekima are expected over almost the entire seaboard of the country.

With this, a gale warning was raised over northern, western and southern seaboards of Luzon including Batanes, Calayan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan.