‘Josie’ maintains strength, rainy forecast on Duterte’s 3rd SONA–Pagasa
TROPICAL depression “Josie” maintained its strength and would continue to enhance monsoon rains in Luzon, including Metro Manila until Monday, when President Rodrigo Duterte will deliver his third State of the Nation Address (SONA), the state-run weather bureau said.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Josie was 170 kilometers (km) northeast of Basco, Batanes as of 11 a.m., packing winds of 60 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of 75 kph.
Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal 1 has been raised over Batanes and the Babuyan Group of Islands, which will experience occasional rains with gusty winds.
Because of the southwest monsoon or “habagat”, a red warning alert was raised over Southern Zambales and Bataan, which means serious flooding is expected in these areas.
Batangas and Cavite are under orange alert, which means floods are threatening these provinces.
Metro Manila, Laguna and Rizal are under yellow alert, which means flooding is possible in low-lying areas.
“Josie will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon which will bring cloudy skies with isolated rains and thunderstorms over Manila until Monday,” weather specialist Ezra Bulquerin said in a press briefing on Sunday.
Aside from Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cordillera, Central Luzon, rest of Cagayan , Western Visayas, Cavite, Batangas, Rizal, Laguna, Mindoro, Northern Palawan will experience scattered to widespread monsoon rains for the day.
Josie is the fourth storm to hit the country this July, days after tropical storm “Inday” (international name: Ampil) brought heavy rains in large portions of Luzon.
It may intensify into a tropical storm between Sunday night and Monday morning before it leaves the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
Pagasa is also monitoring a low pressure area which may likely intensify into a tropical storm when it enters Philippine territory.
“It may intensify into a tropical storm but we will still continue monitoring for updates on its behavior,” Bulquerin said.
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