Rains to persist as ‘habagat’ approaches

Local

RESIDENTS of Metro Cebu and surrounding areas should expect scattered rain showers and thunderstorms in the coming days.

This after weather conditions gradually shift toward the start of the rainy season, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

From May 31 to June 4, Pagasa forecasts partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms across Metro Cebu and the rest of the province.

Daytime temperatures are expected to range from 26 degrees Celsius to 33 degrees Celsius, with light to moderate winds blowing from the southwest to southeast.

Coastal waters will remain slight to moderate.

The increasing presence of southwesterly winds, a key sign of the southwest monsoon or habagat, may signal the start of the rainy season in the next two weeks, Pagasa said in its latest advisory.

“Recent weather analysis over the past several days has shown the persistence of low-level southwesterly winds over the western section of Luzon and the frontal system over Extreme Northern Luzon,” Pagasa Administrator Nathaniel Servando said in a statement.

“With the weakening of the Easterlies, these developments indicate the beginning of the Southwest Monsoon or ‘habagat’ in the Philippines — one of the precursors of the onset of the rainy season,” the statement added.

The southwest monsoon is expected to bring more frequent rains, especially in western sections of the country.

While no severe weather disturbance is currently affecting the Visayas, PAGASA advised local governments and residents in flood- and landslide-prone areas to remain alert.

As of May 30, the weather bureau reported heavy rains due to a frontal system in parts of Luzon, including Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Zambales, Cagayan, Isabela, La Union, Pangasinan, Bataan, Apayao, Abra, Batanes, and the Babuyan Islands.

The first tropical weather disturbance of 2025 was recorded in February in the West Philippine Sea but dissipated within 24 hours.

Based on Pagasa’s list of storm names, the first named tropical cyclone of the year will be called “Auring.”

Pagasa will continue to monitor atmospheric developments and urges the public in Metro Cebu to stay updated through official bulletins as the country enters the transition to the wet season.(TGP)