PAGASA explains unusual weather scene caught on camera in South Cotabato

A video showing rain pouring on one side of a road while the opposite side remained dry and sunny has left netizens puzzled.

As seen in Kuya Kim's report on "24 Oras," Tuesday, motorist Joniel Narangho, a resident of Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat, captured the unusual weather scene while traveling along the boundary of Banga and Norala in South Cotabato.

In the video, the portion of the road within Banga was drenched by heavy rain, while the Norala side remained completely dry under bright sunshine.

Joniel said he was on his way home after picking up an order from a live-selling business when he encountered the sudden change in weather.

"I didn't expect it to rain there in Banga. After I crossed to the other barangay, it was very hot," he said in Filipino.

He decided to record the scene because it was his first time witnessing such a stark contrast in weather.

"I saw something like that for the first time. I was amazed, Sir, because I really couldn't explain what was happening," he said.

"I just laughed at the comments. They were saying that a tikbalang was getting married," he added.

However, according to PAGASA, the phenomenon had nothing to do with mythical creatures.

PAGASA weather forecaster Sharmaine Barilla explained that the contrasting weather was caused by isolated rain showers or localized thunderstorms, which are common in Mindanao.

The current weather system prevailing in Mindanao is more on localized thunderstorms. The rain showers most likely occur in the afternoon," she said in Filipino.

Barilla said that strong winds in the upper atmosphere can cause the tops of cumulonimbus clouds to become sheared or tilted.

"So what happens is the partitions between clouds become wider, so one area experiences rain while the other remains clear or sunny," she said.

Barilla added that the phenomenon is not rare. Joniel simply happened to be in the right place at the right time to capture it on video.

"You really have to catch it at the right time because these localized thunderstorms, especially if they're just single-cell thunderstorms, usually last only 30 minutes to an hour," she said. —Jade Veronique Yap/MGP, GMA News