Rains caused by the southwest monsoon are expected to lessen on Thursday as tropical depression Neneng continues to move away from the country, according to the state weather bureau. However, it noted that monsoon rains may be enhanced again by Sunday due to Tropical Storm Saudel, which is also likely to develop into a typhoon.
Tropical Depression Neneng continues to head into Taiwan, located 450 kilometers north of Itbayat, Batanes, with a strength of 45 kilometers per hour (kph) of maximum sustained winds and 55 kph of gustiness as of 8:00 a.m., the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its storm outlook.
PAGASA said this causes thinning of the cloud cover associated with the southwest monsoon, thereby lessening the areas affected by it.
“So, we are expected within today that our weather conditions will generally improve today,” Leanne Loreto, PAGASA weather specialist, said on a 5:00 a.m. press briefing in Filipino.
“We also notice that the cloud formations over large areas of Visayas and Mindanao, as well as in the Southern Luzon area, have also decreased,” she added.
However, PAGASA cautioned that heavy rainfall is still expected in Batanes, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, and Bataan. It also warned of possible flash floods and landslides in high-risk areas.
Monsoon rains are also expected to resurge by Sunday due to the enhancement of Tropical Storm Saudel, causing widespread rains over Luzon and the western section of the Visayas.
“We are seeing that by Sunday or Monday, we are starting to see an enhancement or it will intensify the southwest monsoon,” she said. “So, let’s expect next week that there will be rains over large portions of Luzon and the western section of the Visayas.”
Tropical Storm Saudel was last located 2,800 kilometers East of Eastern Visayas, packing 75 kph of maximum sustained winds and 90 kph of gustiness, as of 8:00 a.m. Ms. Loreto said that Saudel is likely to intensify into a typhoon category over the weekend and will enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) between Sunday and Monday.
If it enters the PAR, it will be given the local name Obet, making it the country’s 15th tropical cyclone of 2026. PAGASA said that Obet is not expected to make landfall in any part of the country. — Edg Adrian A. Eva
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