Mario-affected monsoon brings rain to central PH

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – People in parts of the Visayas and Bicol can expect heavy rain Thursday, September 18, as Tropical Storm Mario (Fung-Wong) enhances the Southwest Monsoon.

Mario was last located 477 km east of Virac, Catanduanes, carrying maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 80 km/h.

State weather bureau PAGASA said Mario is forecast to move towards the west-northwest at a speed of 24 km/h.

With Mario approaching the eastern edge of Luzon, PAGASA has raised public storm warning signal number 1 in the following areas:

• Catanduanes
• Isabela
• Aurora
• Cagayan

These places should expect to experience winds between 30-60 km/h within 36 hours.

Mario is expected to bring moderate to intense rainfally (7-20 mm/h) within its 300-km diameter.

Moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast for Bicol and Eastern Visayas, while the rest of the Visayas, Luzon, and western and northern portions of Mindanao will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rain.

The rest of Mindanao, meanwhile, will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain.

Areas around Mount Mayon, which has seen increased geologic activity in the past few days, should expect partly cloudy to cloudy skies accompanied by isolated rain or thunderstorms.

PAGASA also issued a gale warning for the eastern coasts of southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with wind speeds between 52-63 km/h. Seas will be rough to very rough, with waves reaching heights of 3.4 to 4.5 meters.

The next bulletin for Mario will be issued at 5 pm Thursday. – Rappler.com