Rainy Friday due to habagat; ‘Nando’ still over PH waters

Metro Manila, Philippines - While Tropical Storm Nando remains over Philippine waters, the southwest monsoon or habagat is expected to bring rains on Friday, Sept. 19, the state weather bureau said.

The habagat will cause cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms over Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Zambales, and Bataan, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms are expected over Metro Manila, Bicol Region, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, and the rest of Central Luzon due to the monsoon.

The habagat and the trough or extension of Tropical Storm Nando will bring strong to gale-force gusts over Ilocos Region, Zambales, Bataan, Bicol Region, and Eastern Visayas.

“Nando” is expected to reach typhoon category by Saturday evening, with PAGASA not ruling out the possibility of the tropical cyclone intensifying into a super typhoon category.

Signal No. 1 may be raised over northern Luzon as early as Saturday.

PAGASA said “Nando” was last spotted 1,075 kilometers (km) east of Central Luzon, packing maximum sustained winds of 75 km per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 90 kph.

The weather disturbance may pass close or make landfall over Babuyan Islands from Monday evening until Tuesday morning, before leaving the Philippine Area of Responsibility.