PAGASA: No storm, just active low pressure area

CEBU, Philippines – An active low pressure area (ALPA) spotted 190 kilometers east of Central Luzon threatens to develop into a tropical depression in two days time, the weather bureau said yesterday.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)-7 however said it would not likely hit Cebu as it is moving at 10 to 20 kilometers northwest towards the eastern part of Luzon and might reach the Pacific Ocean even before it develops into a tropical depression.

PAGASA-7 weather observer on duty Quillano Torregosa reported yesterday that the scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms experienced in the region are due to this ALPA and another low pressure area estimated at 520 kilometers east of Visayas.

This has brought too much rain and wind causing several rivers to overflow and landslides in different parts of Cebu.

The heavy downpour experienced almost every day last week and yesterday here has caused traffic interruption and hassled to motorists and the public who could not pass by the roads due to the flooding.

Torregosa said that since Monday last week until yesterday, PAGASA has measured 80.4 millimeters of rain.

Torregosa said that this is unusually high because normally during rainy season, the count only reaches 100 millimeters of rain for the whole month. During summer, PAGASA only measures 30 to 70 millimeters of rain.

PAGASA warned that this volume of rainwater measured over a week is too much to cause the foundation of the soils in mountainous or steep areas to weaken thus causing landslides.

A 20 millimeter rain in fact can already cause flooding in flood prone areas, PAGASA said.

Torregosa said that whether the ALPA turns into a tropical depression or not, residents living in high risk or the landslide and flashflood prone areas must start evacuating to safer place to be spared from possible disasters.

According to the PAGASA update early last night, Luzon and Visayas will experience mostly cloudy skies and scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms.

The rest of the country will be partly cloudy with isolated rainshowers mostly in the afternoon or evening.

In Cebu City, the bad weather has already claimed a life of five year old child who drowned in the waters of Bato, barangay Ermita recently.

It has also affected four families in sitio Tipolo, barangay Guadalupe where a landslide happened.

The PAGASA also reported that the nights are at their shortest and daytime is at their longest around the Summer solstice, which falls on June 21 at 5:46 p.m. (Philippine Standard Time).

This is the time when the Sun attains its greatest declination of +23.5 degrees and passes directly overhead at noon for all observers at latitude 23.5 degrees North, which is known as the Tropic of Cancer.

This event marks the start of the apparent southward movement of the Sun in the ecliptic.

Stargazers will be having a nice time watching the night sky with the famous Summer Triangle of the stars Vega, Deneb and Altair of the constellations Lyra, Aquila and Cygnus, respectively, being well placed in the eastern horizon before midnight.

The bowls of the Big and Small Dipper in Ursa Major and Minor, respectively, stands high above the northern horizon with the body of the constellation Draco, the Dragon winding between them.

 The grouping of a horseshoe shape stars of the constellation Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, lies on the north-south meridian with the head of Draco below it.

The constellation of Scorpio is positioned above the east-south eastern horizon, while the constellations of Centaurus, the Centaur and Acrux, the Southern Cross is just above the south direction. — Jessica R. Pareja with Johanna T. Natavio/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)