Ester exits PAR but still enhances Habagat

Tropical Depression Ester has exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Sunday but it is still enhancing the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) which will bring rains, PAGASA said in its weather forecast.

Ester made her exit out of PAR at 5 a.m., PAGASA said in a tweet past 7 a.m.

Tropical Depression #EsterPH” exited PAR at 5:00 AM.
Final Tropical Cyclone Bulletin will be issued at 11:00 AM today. pic.twitter.com/zxDLzAbgGI

— PAGASA-DOST (@dost_pagasa) July 30, 2022

At 4 a.m., the center of Ester was located at 835 km east northeast of Extreme Northern Luzon, PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja said in a press briefing.

Ester has maximum sustained winds of 45 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 55 km/h.

The tropical depression is moving northward at 20 km/h.

Estareja said Ester is expected to head to Ryukyu Island in Japan. In the afternoon, Ester is forecast to traverse the East China Sea on its way to the eastern part of China.

No tropical cyclone wind signal has been raised.

Meanwhile, the Southwest Monsoon is affecting mostly the western section of the country.

Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, and Palawan will experience monsoon rains especially from noon to afternoon.

Flash floods or landslides may result due to at times heavy rains.

Visayas, Bicol Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and the rest of Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa will have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.

These areas may also experience flash floods or landslides during times of moderate to heavy rains.

The rest of the country on the other hand will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to the monsoon and localized thunderstorms.

Flash floods or landslides may occur during severe thunderstorms.

The monsoon will start to weaken on Monday, Estareja said.

Meanwhile, no gale warning is in effect on Sunday, he added.

Coastal waters will be slight to moderate throughout the country.

Sunrise was at 5:39 a.m. while sunset will be at 6:26 p.m. —KG, GMA News