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MANILA, Philippines – The southwest monsoon or hanging habagat will continue to affect parts of Luzon and Western Visayas on Friday, August 30.

In a briefing past 5 pm on Thursday, August 29, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said there will be scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms.

The following areas will be affected:

• Metro Manila
• Central Luzon
• Calabarzon
• Mimaropa
• La Union
• Pangasinan
• Benguet
• Western Visayas

PAGASA said flash floods and landslides are possible since the rain could be occasionally heavy. (READ: FAST FACTS: Tropical cyclones, rainfall advisories)

The rest of the country, not affected by the southwest monsoon, will have generally fair weather on Friday, with just isolated rainshowers or localized thunderstorms.

PAGASA Weather Specialist Raymond Ordinario said no new tropical cyclones are expected within the next 48 hours.

But the state weather bureau is monitoring two cloud clusters – one inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility, and another outside.

These cloud clusters might become low pressure areas and then eventually tropical cyclones. Updates will be given in the coming days.

The Philippines has had 10 tropical cyclones in 2019, with 3 of them in August. (READ: LIST: PAGASA’s names for tropical cyclones in 2019)

The country 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 August to December:

• 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