Amihan brings downpour, red rainfall alert up

CEBU, Philippines — It is the northeast monsoon, or locally known as amihan, that brought rains in Cebu and in some parts of the Visayas, where a Red Rainfall Alert was raised yesterday.

Cloudy skies and heavy downpours greeted the fourth day of the year in Cebu as amihan surges in the Visayas and some parts of Luzon, causing unprecedented weather disturbance on the affected areas.

PAGASA-Mactan's Weather Specialist Netherland Saletrero told The FREEMAN the rains were brought by the tail-end of a cold front, which was also brought ultimately by the northeast monsoon.

PAGASA has already raised a red rainfall warning over central and southern Cebu, Bohol, and Southern Leyte. This means that residents in low-lying areas must be prepared for possible landslides and flashfloods.

Saletrero also said that even though the rain brought by amihan is not strong enough to cause landslides, rains that previously poured in the low-lying areas saturated the lands and, therefore, raised the risk of landslide.

PAGASA advised the public to bring umbrellas and wear warm clothing to protect them from the rains and to continue monitoring for further weather updates.

To date, PAGASA has seen no weather disturbances for the following days and forecasts improving weather as Sinulog festivities approach. — John Kendrick P. Ceciban, USJ-R Intern, GAN (FREEMAN)