The Southwest Monsoon, locally known as Habagat, is currently affecting Luzon and Visayas, according to PAGASA on Thursday, September 19.
Based on PAGASA’s 4 a.m. bulletin, Zambales and Bataan will experience monsoon rains due to the Southwest Monsoon.
Pangasinan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Occidental Mindoro, and northern Palawan will have occasional rains, also caused by the Southwest Monsoon.
Metro Manila, Abra, Benguet, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Rizal, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Antique, Iloilo, and the rest of Palawan and the Ilocos Region will experience cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms brought by the Southwest Monsoon.
The rest of Luzon and Visayas will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms, also due to the Southwest Monsoon.
Meanwhile, Mindanao will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to localized thunderstorms.
Forecast Wind and Coastal Water Conditions
The western section of Luzon will have strong winds moving from the southwest to the south, with rough coastal waters.
Visayas and the rest of Luzon will experience moderate to strong winds moving from the south to southwest, with moderate to rough coastal waters.
Mindanao will have moderate wind speeds from the southeast to the south, with moderate coastal water conditions.
Update on Tropical Storm "Helen"
According to PAGASA's Tropical Cyclone Bulletin, Tropical Storm "Helen" is now outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) and is currently crossing Okinawa Island in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan.
As of the latest report, Helen's center was located 915 km northeast of Extreme Northern Luzon, moving northwestward at 40 km/h. It has maximum sustained winds of 85 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 105 km/h.
