A devastating shear line brought record-breaking rainfall to Palawan province, causing widespread flooding and prompting rescue operations. Puerto Princesa City experienced an unprecedented 352 millimeters of rain in just 24 hours, surpassing the previous record of 317.6 mm set in Coron in 1979. This amount is almost twelve times the typical rainfall for February, usually the driest month.
The intense thunderstorms, a result of the convergence of the northeast monsoon (Amihan) and warm easterlies, led to significant flooding in Puerto Princesa City, Aborlan, and Narra. The Philippine Coast Guard was deployed to conduct rescue operations in these affected areas. The shear line’s impact wasn’t limited to Palawan; massive floods also hit parts of Oriental Mindoro, the Bicol Region, and Eastern Visayas over the weekend.
Other areas significantly impacted by heavy rainfall include:
● Juban, Sorsogon (245.4 mm)
● Catarman, Northern Samar (197.3 mm)
● Tacloban City (171.3 mm)
● Catbalogan City (129.9 mm)
As of Monday at 11 a.m., several areas remained under heavy rainfall warnings:
Red Warning Level: Sorsogon, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Samar, Biliran, Leyte, central and southern Palawan.
Orange Warning Level: Albay, Southern Leyte, Kalayaan, Palawan.
Yellow Warning Level: Camarines Sur, Catanduanes.
PAGASA forecasts heavy to intense rains in Palawan, Bicol, and Eastern Visayas to continue until midday Tuesday. Moderate to heavy rains are expected in eastern Luzon until Thursday noon. In addition to the shear line, the easterlies are bringing scattered rains to Caraga, while the Amihan is causing light to occasionally moderate rains in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, and parts of Central Luzon and Calabarzon.
