GUTTER-DEEP. Motorists pass through gutter-deep floodwater along España Boulevard near Maceda Street in Manila after a downpour on Thursday (Aug. 31, 2023). Several areas in Metro Manila were reported to be flooded as the enhanced southwest monsoon or “habagat” dumped rains over a large part of the country. (PNA photo by Yancy Lim) 

MANILA – A huge part of the country will continue to experience rains due to the southwest monsoon or “habagat” enhanced by Severe Tropical Storm Hanna and the two tropical cyclones outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), the weather bureau said Thursday.

In its 5 p.m. bulletin, the bureau said Hanna was last tracked 1,035 km. east of extreme Northern Luzon, packing maximum sustained winds of 110 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 135 kph.

No tropical cyclone wind signal was hoisted in any part of the country but the “habagat” will continue to bring gusty conditions over Zambales, Bataan, Aurora, Bulacan, Ilocos and Cordillera regions, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western Visayas and the northern portion of Eastern Visayas,

Monsoon rains are also forecast over Metro Manila, Zambales, Bataan, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Occidental Mindoro, while occasional rains are likely in Ilocos, Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Tarlac, Pampanga and Quezon.

These areas may experience flooding or landslides due to heavy to intense rains, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

Scattered rain showers and thunderstorms will prevail over Antique, Cagayan Valley, the rest of the Cordillera region, the rest of Central Luzon, and the rest of Mimaropa, also due to the “habagat.”

The rest of the country will have isolated rain showers caused by localized thunderstorms.

Hanna is less likely to cause rough sea conditions over any seaboard of the country. However, the enhanced “habagat” will cause rough seas in most seaboards of Luzon and the Visayas.

The tropical cyclone is forecast to exit PAR on Saturday, PAGASA said. (PNA)