PAGASA: Rainy weekend in store for PHL on account of Storm Butchoy

(Updated 10 p.m.) Severe tropical storm Butchoy is expected to bring as much as 23 millimeters of rain per hour in many parts of the country, including Metro Manila, as it blows during its sojourn within the Philippine area of responsibility, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Thursday.   “Butchoy” continues to grow stronger as it entered the Philippine area of responsibility, the state-run weather forecaster said.   This will be a rainy weekend because "Butchoy" is enhancing the southwest monsoon parked in the western section of the country, PAGASA forecaster Ricky Fabregas told GMA News Online. “Magiging maulan ang weekend. Habang kumikilos ng west northwest ang bagyo, na-i-enhance nito yung southwest monsoon,” he said.   Intermittent rains are what the weekend will be for Metro Manila, courtesy of Butchoy. "Yun kasi ang characteristic ng southwest monsoon rains. Ten to twenty minutes uulan tapos titigil," Fabregas said.   Apart from Metro Manila, the western section of Luzon will experience monsoon rains throughout the weekend including:      

• Iba, Zambales

• Dagupan City

• Baguio City

• Laoag

• Calapan, Mindoro

• Subic Bay

• Palawan. 

“Usually umuulan sa madaling araw, tititgil, tapos uulan ulit sa hapon at sa gabi, at minsan may kasama pang thunderstorm,” Fabregas said.   “Dahil sa pabugso-bugso lang itong ulan, hindi mo talaga alam kung malakas o mahina siya,” he added.   Nine dead, 60 missing   In a report aired on GMA News’ “24 Oras,” Ian Cruz noted the National Disaster Risk-Reduction Management Council NDRRMC tallied 9 casualties and 60 missing since Tuesday due to severe weather conditions.   Six died in a cargo vessel accident in Palawan, and one casualty each were reported from Saranggani, Davao City, and General Santos City due to flashfloods, landslides and drowning.   “Animnapu pa ang patuloy na hinahanap, limampu ay mga taga-Sarangani. Marami rin sa kanila ang mga mangingisdang nasa laot,” Cruz said.   The NDRRMC called on fishermen, especially those on the eastern seaboard, to head for land and away from “Butchoy’s” wrath.   Coast Guard warns fishermen   Philippine Coast Guard Lt. Commander Armand Balilo said in a separate “24 Oras” report they have issued a prohibition against fishermen using small boats not to sail.   “… Mapanganib ang karagatan. Kung meron mang mga nakalayag na hindi namonitor, ang advise namin sa mga Coast Guard detachments to coordinate with their families at alamin kung may paraan pa para makontak sila at mapabalik sila,” he said.   Big commercial passenger boats were warned but not prohibited from sailing.   “Pagkadumating na sa mga probinsya ang warning, kahit No. 1 lang, hindi na pwedeng umalis yung mga barko,” Balilo said.   According to PAGASA, a storm warning signal will likely be raised over the Bicol Region, Quezon province, Tuguegarao, Samar, and Leyte.      

No 'Butchoy' landfall PAGASA predicted “Butchoy” will likely skirt Philippine landmass, but it will intensify into a full-blown typhoon packing heavy rains and strong winds and enhancing the southwest monsoon.   “Sa ngayon po sa nakikita naming based sa forecast model walang tsansa na mag-landfall si ‘Butchoy,’” said Fabregas.   “Severe tropical storm pa lang po ang category niya pero bagyo na ito. Inaasahan po naming in twenty-four hours magiging typhoon na ang category nito,” he noted.   “Nasa dagat pa ito kaya tuluyan itong lumalakas. Nasa dagat ang buhay nito,” Fabregas added.   In its late afternoon bulletin, PAGASA pinned “Butchoy”–the second storm to hit the country this year–at 780 km east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar packing maximum sustained winds of 95 kph and gustiness of up to 120 kph. It is moving at west northwest at 20 kph, the weather bureau said.   Although “Butchoy’s” fury would not be felt by many Filipinos along the eastern coast until Friday or Saturday, Fabregas said the storm is feeding the southwest monsoon or Habagat and enhancing the rains over the western section.   PAGASA said Butchoy will likely leave the Philippine area of responsibility on Tuesday and blow toward Taiwan and Southern Japan. —VS, GMA News