Forecast track of TS Leon as of September 16, 2020. (Pagasa DOST)
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebuanos living in upland areas are advised to remain vigilant and take precautionary measures for possible rain-induced landslides.
Pagasa Mactan warned that the rains experienced in Metro Cebu in the past days have caused the soil to be saturated which could lead to landslides as the downpours persist.
READ: 68 Cebu City residents displaced by landslides that hit Tuesday night
On Wednesday, September 16, 2020, Pagasa Mactan Weather Specialist Netherlen Seletrero said Metro Cebu will continue to experience cloudy skies with scattered to widespread rainshowers and thunderstorms.
“Serious flooding is expected gyud in the low-lying areas and landslide in mountainous areas. Ato pod nga i-consider nga for the past two to three days, naa tay na-experience nga mga pag-ulan since LPA pa lang si Leon. Very saturated na ang mga kayutaan karon so very prone to landslide na especially ang mga bukirang bahin,” Seletrero explained.
(Serious flooding is expected in low-lying areas and landslide in [the] mountain areas. We also have to consider that in the past two to three days, we have already been experiencing rains even when Tropical Storm Leon was still an LPA. The land now is very saturated and very prone to landslide especially in the mountainous areas.)
READ: Tuesday night downpour flooded parts of Metro Cebu
The gloomy weather, Seletrero said, is caused by the surge of the Habagat or the Southwest Monsoon which has been intensified by Tropical Storm Leon.
“Kaning surge sa Habagat karon, mao ni ang na-experience nato nga mga pag-ulan and sometimes mga gustiness,” Seletrero said.
(The rains and sometimes gustiness that we are experiencing now is caused by the surge of the Habagat.)
TS Leon itself, however, has no direct effect in Central Visayas weather, she said.
As of 4 a.m. this Wednesday, the center of TS Leon was estimated at about 225 km West Northwest of Coron, Palawan as it continues to move west-northwestward at 10 kilometers per hour while maintaining the strength of 65 kph and gustiness of up to 80 kph.
Based on Pagasa’s forecast, Leon is expected to further intensify into a severe tropical storm category within 24 hours and a typhoon within 48 hours. / dcb