As Lando (Koppu) left the Philippines landmass yesterday at around 5:00 PM, the said weather system had weakened into a Severe Tropical Storm (STS). However, according to PAGASA, its outer cloud bond will still bring heavy to intense rain showers.
According to the latest rainfall data from the weather bureau, areas in Northern Luzon have experienced a month’s worth of rainfall.

From October 19 to 20, Baguio City had 688 mms. of rainfall, more than its normal October average rainfall at 454.3 mm.

At 7:00 AM today, Lando was located at 100 kilometers northwest of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte with maximum sustained winds of 95 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 120 kph. It is forecast to move northeast at 5 kph.
The current forecast track of PAGASA shows that Lando will exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Sunday.

Stormy weather will prevail in areas under Public Storm Warning Signals. In Metro Manila and rest of central Luzon, light to moderate rain showers are still expected. Meanwhile Visayas and Mindanao will experience improved weather conditions apart from isolated thunderstorms during the latter part of the day.

Lando walks
PAGASA says that Lando’s movement can be compared to the speed of a man walking. The High Pressure Area extending over the West Philippine Sea and Eastern Pacific is the reason for its slow movement. These weather systems are anti-cyclonic, preventing Lando from moving northward.

As Severe Tropical Storm Lando (international name: Koppu) slowly traversed the landmass over Central and Northern Luzon, it brought the water needed to fill our dams.
According to PAGASA Hydrologist Edgar Dela Cruz, the rains brought by Lando should also be considered a blessing. The storm’s almost stationary movement and the amount of rainfall it produced allowed our dams to recover their water supply—so much so that some areas in Luzon are expected to survive the effects of El Niño, including droughts and dry spells, which may be experienced next month.

Meanwhile, the rains have also caused flooding. Dela Cruz said that though PAGASA has yet to receive data in areas where dam gates were opened, he is confident that the residents near the dams were given sufficient warning against the floods. The good news is that there were no casualties reported in these areas.

PAGASA is still monitoring Lando’s movement, which was forecast to exit landmass tomorrow, October 20. Its speed is maintained at 5 kilometers per hour in a north- northwest direction, and has sustained maximum winds up to 105 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 135 kilometers per hour.