by magnolia_eic | Jul 15, 2010 | Headlines, National News, Weather Coverage
MALACAÑANG is set to review the country’s weather forecasting system after President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III admonished the state weather bureau for failing to predict that Typhoon Basyang was headed for Metro Manila.
President Aquino told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo that he wants more “precision” in the way the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) predicts weather movements.
The PAGASA weather bulletin on Tuesday said Basyang would batter Northern and Central Luzon areas, and listed Metro Manila among the areas that would be under Storm Signal No. 1, with 30 to 60 kilometers-per-hour winds. However, the storm hit the metropolis before dawn Wednesday, cutting off power supply in most areas.
“Changes should be known to the public at the earliest possible time,” said Aquino, adding that delays in weather forecast advisories slow down government response.
Aquino said there should also be improvements in the dissemination of information, such as finding ways to inform small-time fishermen who cannot afford radio equipment if there have been changes in the weather so they can immediately go back to shore.
Aquino earlier reprimanded PAGASA for failing to announce that the typhoon would hit hard Metro Manila. (PIA-Bohol)
by magnolia_eic | Jul 15, 2010 | Headlines, National News, Weather Coverage
AS predicted by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), typhoon Basyang has left the Philippine area of responsibility Thursday morning.
The weather forecasters’ last weather bulletin on Basyang (international name Conson) reported that the typhoon was 400 kilometers west-northwest of Dagupan City as of 5:00 a.m. Thursday.
PAGASA says, “”Tropical Storm Conson has left the Philippine area of responsibility and threatens Hainan Island in China.”
Before leaving the country, Basyang was moving at a speed of 19 kilometers per hour, packing maximum winds of 85 kph and gustiness of up to 100 kph.
The government reported 23 deaths, 59 missing people, and 19 injured individuals.
The typhoon reached Philippine land areas Tuesday night and swept through Metro Manila and central Luzon, affecting almost 13,000 families.
A large part of Luzon suffered total power failure around dawn on Wednesday as Basyang damaged electric power transmission lines. (PIA-Bohol)
by magnolia_eic | Jul 14, 2010 | Headlines, National News, Weather Coverage
TYPHOON Basyang (international codename Conson) ripped through the main Philippine island, leaving a trail of wreckage in Manila and sweeping shanties into the sea, officials and witnesses said Wednesday.
The Office of Civil Defense said 19 fishermen from the eastern island of Catanduanes had failed to return home and were missing at sea after the typhoon hit the area late Tuesday.
There were no immediate reports of fatalities but communication systems were down amid the chaos of the typhoon’s aftermath, and disaster relief officials were still trying to determine the extent of the damage.
Electricity was knocked out throughout the main island of Luzon, including the country’s capital where fallen tree branches and other debris littered the streets.
Manila’s overhead railway system was also shut down due to the power outage. Knee-high floods and fallen trees were still blocking some roads in and around the capital, obstructing traffic.
The government called off classes at grade and high school levels in Manila.
Several flights in and out of Manila were cancelled as the typhoon was passing but airport officials said their operations had returned to normal after the storm passed.
Basyang, packing maximum gusts of 120 kilometers (74 miles) an hour, hit the eastern side of Luzon late Tuesday and crossed the island before exiting before dawn Wednesday, heading west into the South China Sea at 22 kilometers an hour. (PIA-Bohol)
by magnolia_eic | Jun 7, 2010 | Announcements, Headlines, Weather Coverage
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Sunday said that the rainy season of 2010 has started in the Philippines due to several factors that brought rain in past days.
“The development of a series of low pressure systems, also known as heat lows, in the southern part of mainland Asia that linked with the low pressure area near Northern Luzon has generated and sustained the southwesterly winds in the country which brought rains for several days especially in the western section of the country,” PAGASA said in a statement posted on its website.
This development signals the onset of the rainy season on the first week of June in areas under Type 1 climate, which covers the western parts of Luzon and Visayas.
The rainy season, which is associated with the southwest monsoon, is expected to last until end of September.
However, PAGASA said monsoon breaks or periods of no rain for a few weeks are expected during the season.
Residents in low-lying areas are advised to watch out for above-normal rainfall due to the La Niña phenomenon in the third quarter. (PIA-Bohol)
by magnolia_eic | May 27, 2010 | Announcements, Headlines, Weather Coverage
IF you can already feel the hot and sticky weather, state weather forecasters said this is the sign that the rainy season expected in June may be on.
According to the forecasters at the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) hot, sticky weather means humidity is high and that the atmosphere is already moisture-laden so the rainy season is near.
The news is now a welcome respite especially in Bohol where consumers who have seen frequent power outages fear that the drought may have already affected the country’s power generation.
The farmers in Bohol, especially those served by the huge irrigation systems in north eastern Bohol have also been praying for rain in as much as irrigation services have been rationed due to near critical levels of the dams, sources from the irrigation administration bared.
This week, people are also awaiting rains as an inter-tropical convergent zone is spotted near Mindanao and forecasters have predicted rains to affect Mindanao and the Visayas areas. (PIA-Bohol)
by magnolia_eic | May 25, 2010 | Headlines, National News, Weather Coverage
TWO weather systems are expected to dump rains in the country this week, signaling a rest from scorching summer heat, but the rainy season is far from starting yet.
According to reports quoting Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) senior weather forecaster Robert Sawi, the weather bureau has spotted a frontal system that is expected to dump rains over the western section of Northern Luzon on Wednesday or Thursday, while an inter-tropical convergence will bring rains over Mindanao.
But Pagasa administrator Prisco Nilo also said no extreme weather disturbance is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility this week.
Warm weather will also prevail until the end of the month or until a tropical cyclone signals the start of the rainy season next month.
Nilo earlier said chances that a La Niña phenomenon may occur this year rose 35 percent.
La Niña is a weather phenomenon that brings excessive rainfall, reports said. (PIA-Bohol)
