By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz
Typhoon “Gardo” (international name Maria) is out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) but some parts of the country will continue to experience rains due to the prevailing southwest monsoon or "habagat", the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Wednesday.
(PAGASA / MANILA BULLETIN)
Around Wednesday morning, the typhoon was at 650 kilometers north of extreme Northern Luzon with maximum sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 195 kph.
PAGASA weather specialist Loriedin dela Cruz said moderate to heavy monsoon rains will affect Zambales, Bataan, Cavite, Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Romblon, and Western Visayas.
Meanwhile, occasional monsoon rains will prevail over Metro Manila, Bicol Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Pangasinan, Marinduque, and the rest of Central Luzon and Southern Luzon.
The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers due to localized thunderstorms.
PAGASA said the public should remain on alert for possible flash floods or landslides due to light to moderate to at times heavy rains.
Due to the enhanced habagat, a gale warning remains in effect as rough to very rough seas is expected over Batanes, Babuyan group of islands, Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Island, and Palawan including Calamian group of islands.
PAGASA advised fishing boats and other small sea crafts not to set sail into the sea, while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves.
Meanwhile, two low-pressure areas outside the PAR are also being monitored by the weather bureau.
One of the LPAs was spotted over the West Philippine Sea, which may not affect the country, while the other one located east of Mindanao will likely enter the PAR possibly as a tropical cyclone by weekend. (with reports from Philippine News Agency)