The rain did not announce it. It was the way people began to move.
By Friday, Manila’s foot traffic had slowed. Umbrellas stayed open even when the skies paused. And the state weather bureau made it official: Habagat has begun.
Pagasa stopped short of declaring the official start of the rainy season, but said the current pattern is one of its primary precursors.
“With the weakening of the Easterlies, these developments indicate the beginning of the Southwest Monsoon in the Philippines,” said PAGASA Administrator Dr. Nathaniel Servando.
By early afternoon, yellow rainfall advisories were issued over Bataan and Zambales.
PAGASA projected 100 to 200 mm of rainfall over Batanes, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and Zambales by Saturday.
In Metro Manila light to moderate rain is expected to persist through the weekend.
Baguio City is forecast to experience “cloudy weather with rains until Tuesday [3 June].”
The official declaration of the rainy season could follow within one to two weeks, PAGASA said.
Meantime, weather conditions consistent with the habagat are expected to continue across large parts of Luzon.