A LOW pressure area (LPA) is expected to enter the country on Friday this week, bringing rains to Cebu through the weekend, the Mactan office of the state weather bureau Pagasa said yesterday.
“The LPA which will enter near southeast Mindanao will affect Visayas because of its (LPA) extension,” Pagasa Mactan chief Alfredo Quiblat Jr. said.
As of noon yesterday, the LPA was located 2,000 kilometers east of southeast Mindanao. For March, at least one tropical cyclone is also expected to enter the country.
But Quiblat said it is unlikely that the low pressure area will become a tropical cyclone based on their projections.
The normal average rainfall for March is 61 millimeters and as of 10 a.m yesterday, Pagasa recorded 56.5 millimeters of rainfall in Cebu.
Quiblat said light to moderate rains were also experienced this week since the northeast monsoon (amihan) continues to prevail not just in Luzon but the Visayas area.
Pagasa Mactan has not issued color-coded rainfall advisories for Cebu but Quiblat advised the public to always take precautionary measures since prolonged rains can cause floods and landslides to prone areas.
A red rainfall advisory is issued if there are torrential rains that measured up to 30 millimeters in one to two hours. Flooding is expected in low-lying areas.
An orange rainfall advisory means that intense rain is experienced and rainfall is measured at 15 to 30 millimeters from one to two hours.