PhilSA produces flood extent maps for Northern Luzon amid habagat onslaught
The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) has produced flood extent maps showing flooded areas in the northern part of Luzon following the heavy rains brought by two tropical cyclones and are now continuously being enhanced by the southwest monsoon, or habagat.
PhilSA is the central government agency of the Philippines that plans, develops, and promotes the national space program.
In a statement, it said the flood extent maps it produced covers Ilocos and Cagayan Valley region, and parts of Abra and Zambales.
The analysis used Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite imagery captured at 5:54 a.m. on Aug. 6 2026 for Region 1 and 5:58 a.m. on Aug. 9 for Region 2 showed flooded areas with the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) using a composite of three Sentinel-1 SAR images.
SAR satellite imagery is useful in flood mapping because SAR signals can penetrate through clouds that often cover large areas during storms, and regardless of daylight conditions, unlike optical imagery.
However, SAR may underestimate flooding in urban and densely vegetated areas because complex surfaces may affect the backscatter data being measured and reduce flood detection accuracy.
PhilSA said it will continue monitor the situation and prioritize areas for response through the analysis of wide-area coverage satellite data to support the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
“By making space data accessible to stakeholders, PhilSA enables informed decision-making and strengthens disaster response. PhilSA will continue monitoring satellite data as the situation requires,” it said.