The southwest monsoon or “habagat” was again affecting the country on Saturday, May 28, bringing cloudy skies, scattered rain showers, and thunderstorms over Metro Manila and five other regions, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its daily weather forecast.

PAGASA warned against possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to heavy monsoon rains in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula.

Meanwhile, the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with chances of isolated rain showers or thunderstorms in the afternoon or evening.

PAGASA also advised the public to stay vigilant as sudden heavy rains during severe thunderstorms may trigger flash floods or landslides, especially in high-risk areas.

Meanwhile, weather specialist Benison Estareja said the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) may bring rains over parts of the country by Sunday until Monday, May 29-30.

ITCZ is an area where winds from the northern and southern hemispheres converge that brings cloudiness and rains.

Estareja also noted that a low pressure area (LPA) may form within the ITCZ, which will likely move west-northwest towards Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas in the next three days.

“Malaki ang impluwensiya ng ITCZ at ng LPA sa mga magiging paulan natin sa Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao hanggang sa kalagitnaan ng susunod na linggo, bagamat mababa ang tsansa ng LPA na maging bagyo (The ITCZ ​​and the LPA will have a big influence on our rains in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao until the middle of next week, although the chances of the LPA becoming a typhoon remain low),” Estareja said.