By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz The southwest monsoon or “habagat” and the trough of a low pressure area (LPA) will be the prevailing weather systems over the country this weekend as typhoon “Liwayway” (international name “Lingling”) left the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Thursday. (PAGASA / MANILA BULLETIN) The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) estimated the location of Liwayway at 620 kilometers (km) north-northeast of Basco, Batanes or outside the country’s area of responsibility on Thursday afternoon. Liwayway further intensified with maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 215 kph, but remains under the typhoon category. It continues to move north at 15 kph, after making landfall over Miyako Island in southern Ryukyu Islands, Japan around Thursday noon. PAGASA said the "habagat" will bring occasional wind gusts over Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Abra, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Apayao. Until Friday afternoon, light to moderate with intermittent heavy monsoon rains may be felt over Batanes and Babuyan Islands. The southwest monsoon will also bring scattered light to moderate rains with at times isolated heavy rain showers during thunderstorms over Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Zambales, and Bataan. PAGASA still advised residents in these areas, especially those living in areas identified to be highly or very highly susceptible to floods and rain-induced landslides, to take precautionary measures. It also warned fisherfolk and those with small sea crafts from setting sail as sea travel remains risky over the coast of Northern Luzon and the western seaboard of Central Luzon due to potentially rough sea conditions. Meanwhile, PAGASA said the LPA being monitored at 1,070 km east of Eastern Visayas has also left the PAR on Thursday afternoon. The trough or extension of the LPA, however, will also likely to bring cloudy skies with possible scattered rains and isolated thunderstorms over Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Caraga, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, and Soccsksargen. PAGASA said the LPA is less likely to develop into a tropical depression within 48 hours. So far tropical cyclones Kabayan and Liwayway have entered the PAR this month. At least two more cyclones will likely form or enter the country’s area of responsibility in September. The next cyclone will be named “Marilyn.”