NAIA operations temporarily suspended due to red lightning alert

Flight and ground operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport were temporarily suspended before noon Wednesday due to a red lightning alert issued by the Airport Ground Operations and Safety Division (AGOSD).

In an advisory, the Manila International Airport Authority said the lightning alert was raised at 11:45 a.m.

It said this is “a safety measure taken to prevent untoward incidents from happening when lightning is prevalent in the immediate area and may endanger personnel, passengers, and even flight operations.”

In a thunderstorm advisory issued at 11:42 a.m., state weather bureau PAGASA said moderate to heavy rainshowers with lightning and strong winds are expected over Rizal, Bulacan, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna and Quezon within the next two hours.

It added Quezon City and Paranaque City in Metro Manila and Cabangan in Zambales are experiencing the said conditions and it may persist within two hours and affect nearby areas.

"All are advised to take precautionary measures against the impacts associated with these hazards which include flash floods and landslides," the weather bureau further said.

In its 11 a.m. bulletin, PAGASA said moderate to heavy rains are expected over the western portions of Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, and MIMAROPA until Thursday.

Typhoon Aghon is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) Wednesday afternoon, according to PAGASA.

Aghon was last spotted 1,060 kilometers east northeast of extreme Northern Luzon with maximum sustained winds of 130 km per hour and gustiness of up to 160 km/h.

It was moving northeastward at 35 km/h.

“On the track forecast, Typhoon AGHON will move generally northeastward over the Philippine Sea for the entirety of the forecast period and exit the PAR this afternoon,” PAGASA said.—AOL, GMA Integrated News