What appeared to be streaks of lightning and thick clouds over Taal Sunday night roused Facebook and Twitter, with users asking if the volcano was erupting. Phivolcs said it wasn't.
Videos circulating online of lightning activities near Taal are not related to any volcanic activity, the agency said Sunday.
"There are no recorded and observed activities from the volcano monitoring network and IP cameras in Taal Volcano," Phivolcs said.
"As per PHIVOLCS Taal Volcano Observatory, there is a localized thunderstorm in the vicinity of Laurel, Batangas," it added.
Only in the Philippines can you find sudden thunderstorms during summer and a restive volcano in the middle of a lake, all happening at the same time. Earlier in the day, earthquakes were recorded in Davao Occidental and Zambales.
What netizens saw was a thunderstorm and PAGASA warned about it at 6:28 p.m. The areas included the Batangas towns of Balayan, Calaca, Lian, located west of the volcano.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: Decoding Disaster Alerts: How to Prepare, When to Evacuate
Here's a video taken from Sta. Rosa Laguna Sunday night by Twitter user @petrifiedjelly, which reportr is using with permission.
On May 24, Philvocs warned of increasing unrest in Taal, which last erupted in January 2020.
Taal remains under Alert Level 2, meaning sudden steam-driven or paretic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall, and lethal expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and threaten areas within and around the volcano island.
While recorded temperatures and heat index readings have been the highest this year, PAGASA also said that summer is coming, possibly in the second half of June.
