
The Tropical Depression Jacinto continues to strengthen the southwest monsoon or habagat, bringing rain to various parts of the country, according to PAGASA.
Jacinto was last spotted 505 kilometers west of Subic Bay, Zambales, packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 55 kph. It is moving northwest at 10 kph.
The trough is causing rains in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan, Isabela, Cordillera, Zambales and Bataan. It is also strengthening the southwest monsoon which is bringing thunderstorms and the threat of flash floods and landslides in Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, Western Visayas and Negros Island Region.
Although there are no tropical cyclone wind signals, PAGASA warned that it is possible to reach 50 to 100 millimeters of rain, which could cause flooding in low-lying areas and landslides in the mountains. Fishermen are also advised not to venture out to sea in the western part of Luzon and Visayas due to waves that may reach 3.5 meters.
Jacinto is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility today, but may become a tropical storm over the weekend as it heads towards Vietnam. Meanwhile, rain is expected to continue over the western part of the country until the weekend, while Metro Manila and the eastern provinces will experience cloudy weather and isolated thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening.