PAGASA: 'Maring' dumped over a month's worth of rains in Baguio, Dagupan, Laoag in just 24 hours


(SCREENGRAB FROM PAGASA)

Over a month's worth of rains fell in Baguio City, Dagupan City, and Laoag City during the passage of severe tropical storm "Maring" (international name "Kompasu") over northern Luzon, based on the 24-hour monitoring of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Weather specialist Ariel Rojas said that five monitoring stations in Luzon registered the highest amount of rainfall between 8 a.m., Oct. 11 to 8 a.m., Oct. 12.

Rojas noted that the Baguio City monitoring station registered the highest 24-hour rainfall at 625.3 millimeters (mm).

"'Yan po ay katumbas ng mahigit 130 percent na pag-ulan kumpara sa normal na pag-ulan sa buong buwan ng Oktubre (That is equivalent to more than 130 percent rainfall compared to the normal rainfall in the said area throughout the month of October)," he said in his weather report.

Baguio City's average rainfall in October is 454.3 mm.

"Maliban po diyan (Baguio station), ang mga istasyon sa Dagupan at sa Laoag mahigit isang daang porsiyento rin po--katumbas ng buong buwan ng Oktubreng pag-ulan ang naitala--dahil sa pagdaan ni Maring (Aside from the Baguio station, the stations in Dagupan and Laoag also recorded more than 100 percent of rainfall--equivalent to the entire month's average rainfall--due to the passage of Maring)," Rojas said.

In 24 hours, the Dagupan City station registered 241.3 mm of rains, while the Laoag City station recorded 123.4 mm.

These are also higher than their average rainfall during October at 215.9 mm and 103.3 mm, respectively.

The monitoring stations in Aparri and Calayan in Cagayan province also registered a high volume of 24-hour rainfall at 138.4 mm and 133.4 mm, respectively.

"Sa Aparri, Cagayan, 47 percent ng kabuuang ulan sa buwan ng Oktubre ang ibinuhos doon ni Maring. Sa Calayan naman ay nasa 36 percent ng ulan sa buwan ng Oktubre (In Aparri, Cagayan, 47 percent of the total rainfall in October was poured there by Maring. Calayan, on the other hand, had 36 percent of the average rain in October)," Rojas said.

However, the recorded amounts of rainfall in these two stations were still lower than their average for the month at 295.9 mm for Aparri and 375.4 mm for Calayan.

Rojas added that most of the rains fell in the mountainous areas, which eventually reached the low-lying areas of northern Luzon, causing floods.