HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Residents can expect gloomy days with a wet weather pattern over western Micronesia, but there’s no threat of a storm, according to forecasters, though a flash flood watch is in effect.
National Weather Service reports show tropical disturbance Invest 95W developed west of Guam, toward Yap and Palau.
“We’re not seeing any threats of a tropical cyclone,” Brandon Aydlett, NWS Guam science and operations officer, told The Guam Daily Post. “However, we do have a wet pattern across west Micronesia that is focusing heavier showers nearby Guam. … That is the main reason that we’ve got the flash flood watch in effect.”
Residents can look forward to 1 to 3 inches of rain, which may pour in a relatively short timespan, Aydlett said. Motorists should exercise caution and be on the lookout for pools of standing water, he said.
“We are still looking at kind of a pattern through the rest of the week … and so these showers could result in some of that nuisance flooding of low-lying areas, poor drainage areas, puddling of water on the road and whatnot,” he said.
Tropical cyclones are more likely for Guam through the end of the year, according to reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. At least a moderate El Niño pattern is expected for 2023, with heavy weather developing to the east of the island and then blowing west.
“This time of year, expect periods of heavier showers at times as these weak disturbances push through,” Aydlett said. “Always be ready to respond.”
Showers pour in Tamuning on May 30, 2023.
