Pagasa downgrades rainfall alert, says weather to improve on Saturday

Motorists are encouraged to be extra careful while driving along Cebu City streets after Cebu experienced rains for nearly 12 hours on Friday. Photo by Benjie Talisic

CEBU CITY,  Philippines — After over 12 hours of non-stop rains, with occasional downpour, Cebu can expect a slight improvement in the weather tomorrow, Saturday (January 5). 

Engineer Alfredo Quiblat, bureau chief of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration in Mactan (Pagasa – Mactan), said their current data showed that the rains affecting Cebu today (Friday, January 4) would swing slightly over Mindanao on Saturday. 

“If our data will not change, then the weather may gradually improve this Saturday,” he said.

The incessant rain being experienced all over Cebu today is due to the combination of a tail-end of a cold front, and a prevailing northeast monsoon or locally known as amihan, said Quiblat. 

“The concentration of clouds, which is a combined force of both the tail-end of a cold front and the prevailing northeast monsoon, are hovering over Eastern and Central Visayas, and Southern Leyte,” he added. 

Pagasa, as well as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), raised a red rainfall alert in the entire Cebu past 6 p.m. tonight which meant heavy rains with a rainfall rate beyond 30 millimeters per hour were expected.

This also meant that flash floods, and erosion of the soil in landslide-prone areas are also expected. 

The red rainfall alert was downgraded to orange rainfall alert at 8:15 p.m., or two hours later. This translates to rainfall rate at 15 to 30 millimeters per hour.

But this would not mean the rains would be over soon. Quiblat said the heavy rains would likely last until tonight or early Saturday dawn. 

“We urge the public to keep on monitoring any advisories to be issued by the disaster teams of local government units. If there is a need to evacuate, they must do so,” he added.