PAGASA: One more tropical cyclone may hit PH before 2025 ends

One more tropical cyclone may enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility before 2025 comes to a close, the state weather bureau said on Monday.

In an interview over Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon, Ana Liza Solis of the PAGASA Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section said 23 tropical cyclones hit the country so far this year.

“Posibleng may isa pa po bago po magtapos itong taon, which is above average po doon sa bilang ng bagyo na natatanggap natin na mga around 19 to 20 tropical cyclones a year. So, medyo tumaas na po iyong bilang ng ating bagyo dahil mayroon nga pong La Niña,” Solis said.

(There is possibly one more before this year ends, which is above the average number of typhoons we receive, which is around 19 to 20 tropical cyclones a year. So, the number of our typhoons slightly increased because of La Niña.) 

At present, there is a brief La Niña event, which brings more rainfall and is expected to persist until the first quarter of 2026. 

“At maaari pa rin ito ay magpatuloy hanggang at least first half po ng February, kaya ibayo pa rin po nating pinag-iingat iyong ating mga kababayan lalong-lalo na po iyong nasa eastern section ng ating bansa,” said Solis. 

(And this may still continue until at least the first half of February, which is why we are still strongly everyone to take extra caution, especially those in the eastern section of our country.) 

The latest tropical cyclone to hit the country was Wilma, which peaked into a tropical depression. It eventually weakened into a low pressure area on Sunday. 

According to Ivan Mayrina’s report in “24 Oras” on Monday, Wilma made its landfall over Dolores, Eastern Samar before traversing other provinces in the Visayas. 

Parts of Dolores were flooded because of the rains. Likewise, the nonstop downpour also caused a creek in Balamban, Cebu to overflow. 

The strong winds brought by Wilma were also felt in Western Visayas, like in Aklan. Meanwhile, the shear line also brought rains over Bicol Region. For instance, a spillway in Viga, Catanduanes also overflowed due to the continuous rains. 

On Monday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 57,594 families or 132,849 persons were affected by the combined effects of Tropical Depression Wilma, the Northeast Monsoon (Amihan), and the shear line. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/JMA, GMA Integrated News