Flood-hit Central Luzon should brace for more rain Thursday

Parts of central Luzon should brace for occasional heavy rain as well as flash floods and landslides this Thursday due to the convergence of the Amihan and easterly winds over the eastern part of the country. This is on top of the aftereffects of Typhoon Nona (Melor), which barreled through the central Philippines over the week but has now dissipated into a tropical depression.

"Cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rains and isolated thunderstorms will be experienced over Cagayan Valley, Cordillera and the rest of Central Luzon and of Ilocos region which may trigger flashfloods and landslides while light to moderate rains is expected over Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Caraga, and Davao region," PAGASA said in its 5 a.m. report.

The aftermath of days of heavy rains are also being felt in Angat Dam, which has already reached spilling level.

Typhoon Nona left some areas of central Luzon inundated over the week, with floodwaters in some parts of Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija still at chest level as of Thursday morning. Floods were also reported parts of Tarlac province.

"Kahit na pahina at pawala na si Nona, naririyan pa rin ang convergence ng Amihan at ang easterly winds na siyang nagpapaulan sa silangang bahagi ng bansa," said GMA resident meteorologist Nathaniel "Mang Tani" Cruz.

"Dahil dito, makakaasa tayo ng pag-ulan pa rin sa may central Luzon, lalo na sa silangang bahagi nito, ngayong araw," he added.

As of 4 a.m., PAGASA posited Nona 60 km west of Iba, Zambales, with maximum sustained winds of 55 kph—down from a high of 140 kph the day before, as it plowed through central Philippines.

Alert over central Luzon

All storm signals have been lifted, with PAGASA expecting just gusty winds and up to moderate rain in some parts of Luzon. However, central Luzon has been warned of possible flash floods and landslides due to the rain-soaked soil in the mountain regions.

Apart from these, other parts of country may experience occasionally rainy weather through the day.

"Rains with gusty winds are expected over Pangasinan and Zambales.  Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms will prevail over the rest of the country," PAGASA said.

PAGASA is also monitoring the progress of Tropical Depression Onyok, which was last spotted 700 km east-northeast of Davao Oriental. It currently has no direct effect on the country.

Angat at spilling level

Meanwhile, the National Power Corporation announced on Wednesday that it will release water from Angat Dam in Norzagaray starting Thursday 8 a.m., Dec. 17. The water level of the dam has breached the spilling level of 212 meters above sea level due to the rains from Typhoon Nona.

The NPC assured that the released water will go straight to riverways and will not cause flooding.

The water will be released slowly starting Thursday to minimize the effects on the communities near Angat River.

Even then, the NPC advised the local government and residents living in areas near Angat River to take the necessary precautions.  — GMA News