Monsoon bringing rain to parts of Luzon on August 20

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MANILA, Philippines –  The southwest monsoon or hanging habagat will continue to affect the western part of Luzon on Monday, August 20.

In a bulletin issued 4 pm on Sunday, August 19, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said scattered rains and thunderstorms are expected in the Ilocos Region, the Cordillera Administrative Region, Batanes, the Babuyan Group of Islands, Zambales, Bataan, Cavite, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, and northern Palawan.

PAGASA warned that flash floods and landslides are possible, especially if the rains become moderate to heavy.

The rest of the country will have generally good weather, with only isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms. (READ: FAST FACTS: Tropical cyclones, rainfall advisories)

There is no gale warning raised at the moment, which means it is safe to sail nationwide.

Meanwhile, PAGASA is monitoring two tropical cyclones outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) – Typhoon Soulik and Tropical Storm Cimaron.

Soulik is 1,780 kilometers east northeast of extreme Northern Luzon, slowly moving west. It has maximum winds of 160 kilometers per hour (km/h) and gustiness of up to 195 km/h.

Cimaron is much farther, at 3,120 kilometers east of Luzon, moving northwest at 25 km/h. It has maximum winds of 75 km/h and gustiness of up to 90 km/h.

Both Soulik and Cimaron are unlikely to enter PAR. They have no direct effect on the country right now.

So far, the Philippines has had 11 tropical cyclones in 2018. The country usually gets an average of 20 tropical cyclones per year. (READ: LIST: PAGASA’s names for tropical cyclones in 2018)

PAGASA declared the start of the rainy season last June 8. – Rappler.com