THE weather bureau said Sunday Luzon should brace for more rain today, Monday, as the southwest monsoon would continue to affect the area that was drenched beginning Saturday.
The agency said Metro Manila, the Ilocos region, Cordillera, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Oriental and Occidental Mindoro should stay alert for floods and landslides.
In other developments:
• Rain spawned by the southwest monsoon will persist in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon until Wednesday, an official said Sunday.
Weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said the tropical storm outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon.
• The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Sunday it was on red alert 24 hours a day as it continued to monitor the rain and floods brought by the southwest monsoon.
• The water level in the Marikina River remains at Alarm Level II, the city’s public information office said on Sunday, hinting that the residents nearby should prepare for a possible evacuation.
The Marikina Public Information Office said the, water level in the river was still at 16 meters, which is classified as Second Alarm, as of 3:35 pm on Sunday.
• The Archbishop of Manila on Sunday called on parishes to open their gates and accommodate those affected by the flooding brought about by the heavy rain over the weekend.
• Some dams in Luzon have been releasing water on Sunday following the heavy rain brought by the southwest monsoon.
• The Office of Civil Defense said it had yet to record casualties from the continuing rain brought by the southwest monsoon enhanced by Tropical Storm “Karding.”
“I hope it stays that way,” agency spokesman Edgar Posadas told reporters on Sunday.
• The Philippine Coast Guard said at least 638 passengers, eight vessels and 26 motorboats were stranded in various ports as of noon on Sunday.
Karding left the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday morning and was sighted 665 kilometers north-northeast of extreme Northern Luzon.
On Monday, moderate to heavy rain will again hit Metro Manila, the Ilocos Region, the Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Oriental Mindoro, and Occidental Mindoro. The rest of Luzon will also have scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.
Residents of the areas affected by the southwest monsoon should watch out for flash floods and landslides. Massive floods have already hit parts of Metro Manila and Rizal over the weekend.
The Visayas and Mindanao will only have localized thunderstorms on Monday. But flash floods and landslides are possible if the rain becomes moderate or heavy.
Meanwhile, a gale warning was issued for Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Metro Manila, Cavite, the western coast of Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Batanes, the Calayan Group of Islands, the Babuyan Group of Islands, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Masbate, Burias Island and the southern coast of Batangas.
The seas off those areas will be rough to very rough, with the wave heights reaching 2.6 meters to 4.5 meters.
Weathermen advised fishermen and others with small vessels not to set sail in the areas covered by the gale warning. Larger vessels should watch out for big waves.
Karding was the Philippines’ 11th tropical cyclone for 2018. The country usually gets an average of 20 tropical cyclones per year.