MANILA — Residents of Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and the provinces of Palawan and Mindoro would have to brace for a rainy Friday.
In its 4 p.m. weather bulletin Thursday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said these areas would experience cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms within the next 48 hours due to the southwest monsoon enhanced by severe tropical storm ‘Maria’.
The state weather bureau similarly warned of possible flash floods or landslides due to “light to moderate to at times heavy rains” in these areas.
‘Maria’ was last spotted 2,070 km east of southern Luzon, which is outside the Philippine area of responsiblity (PAR) and is moving west northwest at 15 km per hour.
It is packing maximum sustained winds of up to 90 km per hour and gustiness of up to 115 km per hour.
The storm is less likely to make landfall in any part of the country.
Meanwhile, Metro Manila and other areas will also experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers caused by local thunderstorms.
The seaboards of northern and western Luzon will also be moderate to rough caused by moderate to strong winds.
Other areas will have slight to moderate coastal waters brought by light to moderate winds.
PAGASA, on the other hand, also forecasts a temperature range of 15 to 34°C across the country until Monday.
On Thursday, the state weather agency recorded a peak temperature of 31.7°C and a minimal temperature of 25.2°C at the PAGASA Science Garden in Quezon City. (PNA)
