Heavy rain hits Luzon as monsoon enhanced by Falcon, LPA

Acor Arceo

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Heavy rain hits Luzon as monsoon enhanced by Falcon, LPA
The early hours of Thursday, July 18, are rainy in parts of Luzon, as Tropical Storm Falcon (Danas) and a low pressure area enhance the southwest monsoon

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MANILA, Philippines – Tropical Storm Falcon (Danas) and a low pressure area (LPA) continued to enhance the southwest monsoon or hanging habagat early Thursday morning, July 18.

In a briefing past 5 am on Thursday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Falcon is already 230 kilometers northeast of Basco, Batanes.

The tropical storm slightly slowed down, now moving north at 20 kilometers per hour (km/h) from the previous 30 km/h.

It continues to have maximum winds of 65 km/h and gustiness of up to 80 km/h.

The northern part of Cagayan is no longer under a tropical cyclone wind signal. Only the following remain under wind signals.

Signal No. 2:

  • Batanes

Signal No. 1:

  • Babuyan Group of Islands

PAGASA warned of stormy weather in Batanes, while rain and gusty winds are hitting the Babuyan Group of Islands.

Falcon had made landfall in Gattaran, Cagayan, at 12:30 am on Wednesday, July 17. (READ: FAST FACTS: Tropical cyclones, rainfall advisories)

Meanwhile, the LPA is 265 kilometers west of Sinait, Ilocos Sur. It is now likely to develop into a tropical depression within 48 hours, but seen to move north, so it may exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) soon after.

Below is the expected rainfall from the southwest monsoon enhanced by Falcon and the LPA.

Thursday, July 18

  • Monsoon rain
    • Metro Manila
    • Calabarzon
    • Mimaropa
    • Ilocos Region
    • Cordillera Administrative Region
    • Zambales
    • Bataan
  • Scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms
    • rest of Luzon
    • Western Visayas

PAGASA reiterated that flash floods and landslides remain possible in those areas.

Classes have been suspended for Thursday in parts of Luzon. (READ: #WalangPasok: Class suspensions, Thursday, July 18, 2019)

Sea travel also remains risky in the seaboards of areas under Signal Nos. 1 and 2, the seaboards of Luzon, and the western and eastern seaboards of the Visayas.

Falcon is expected to leave PAR on Thursday evening.

Forecast track of Tropical Storm Falcon (Danas) as of July 18, 2019, 5 am. Image from PAGASA

Falcon is the Philippines’ 6th tropical cyclone for 2019. The first 5 were all tropical depressions. (READ: LIST: PAGASA’s names for tropical cyclones in 2019)

The Philippines gets an average of 20 tropical cyclones annually, but since 2019 is an El Niño year, only 14 to 18 tropical cyclones are expected.

Below is the estimated number of tropical cyclones from July to December:

  • July – 2 or 3
  • August – 2 to 4
  • September – 2 to 4
  • October – 2 or 3
  • November – 1 or 2
  • December – 0 or 1

PAGASA declared the start of the rainy season last June 14. – Rappler.com

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Acor Arceo

Acor Arceo is the head of copy and editorial standards at Rappler. Trained in both online and TV newsrooms, Acor ensures consistency in editorial standards across all sections and also supervises Rappler’s coverage of disasters.