Rainy season nears as southwesterly winds set to prevail this weekend — PAGASA
At A Glance
- PAGASA declares the start of the rainy season when at least seven of the 13 key monitoring stations record 25 millimeters of rain over five consecutive days, accompanied by prevailing winds shifting to the southwest
The onset of the rainy season could be near as southwesterly winds are expected to prevail over western Luzon this weekend, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Tuesday, May 27.
The southwesterly wind flow, which is often the precursor to the southwest monsoon or “habagat,” is forecast to bring scattered rain showers and thunderstorms to western Luzon, particularly Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Zambales, Bataan, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte starting Friday, May 30.
“The southwesterly winds will become the dominant wind pattern over western portions of Luzon by this weekend,” PAGASA weather specialist Daniel James Villamil said.
“This shift will increase the chances of scattered rain showers, especially in the afternoons and evenings, over these areas,” he added.
PAGASA declares the start of the rainy season when at least seven of the 13 key monitoring stations record 25 millimeters of rain over five consecutive days, accompanied by prevailing winds shifting to the southwest.
Villamil also said the frontal system, which is the boundary between warm and cold air, will continue to bring scattered rains and thunderstorms over extreme Northern Luzon from Wednesday, May 28, to Saturday, May 31.
Meanwhile, rains will lessen in Palawan, Visayas, and Mindanao as the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) weakens and easterly winds prevail on Wednesday and Thursday.
“While some brief afternoon or evening rains may still occur, the weather will generally improve in these regions during this period,” he added.
For the rest of the country, easterly winds will continue to dominate and bring warm weather with brief rain showers and thunderstorms this weekend.