Rainy Days in General Santos City

The whole city has been experiencing severe rainfalls for the last few days. This is a huge difference in the weather pattern of General Santos City where the first quarter of the year, before the start of summer, is very hot and warm.

Just last night, I went home drenched in cold rain. I was looking after our store at the Oval Plaza (it is the Kalilangan season, and I and a friend set up our own food store in the area) when the rain poured. It was past six when the rainshower started and it did not wane until half past eight. It was torrential and for just minutes, the plaza was flooded, the waters going inside the stores. I was thankful that the flood immediately subsided after the rain died down. There was a frightening quiet for some time.

Without any hesitation, I drove home and to my disappointment, the rain started over again. The streets became flooded, almost knee-high in some areas. It was hard to maneuver my motorcycle through the flood, but after a difficult struggle, I got home shivering and soaked with rain.

Today, the news still tells of the prevailing cold rainshowers and the impending typhoon. Accordingly, there is a Low Pressure Area (LPA) few kilometers east of Mindanao. The LPA will bring in cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms in most of the country. There is a chance that the LPA will develop into a tropical typhoon and hit land by Thursday.

Prior to this, there had been an LPA at Malaybalay, Bukidnon (northern Mindanao) which has caused the rainfalls during the weekend. Though it had not grown into a typhoon, many areas had been severely damaged, mostly due to flashfloods that ensued. Around 664 families were affected in General Santos City, particularly in Baluan and Lagao.

Going home from work this afternoon, I saw angry clouds spread over the firmament. It was a beautiful sight, but a sad one as well. I could only pray that the coming rains would not anymore bring in harm to the city.

Weather Map and Report courtesy of PAGASA and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.