Fair weather expected over the weekend as no LPAs seen outside PAR

MANILA, Philippines – Generally fair weather is expected over the weekend as no low pressure area (LPA) and no weather disturbances are expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), the state weather bureau said on Thursday.

However, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that occasional rain showers may still occur due to localized thunderstorms in Mindanao, and the prevailing northeast monsoon or “amihan” in the northern part of Luzon.

“Northeast monsoon o amihan pa rin ang nakaka-apekto sa malaking bahagi ng Luzon kaya asahan pa rin natin ngayong gabi ang maulap na kalangitan na may kalat-kalat na mahihinang pag-ulan dito sa rehiyon ng Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, at sa probinsya ng Aurora,” weather specialist Ana Clauren said.

“Magandang balita naman po, dahil wala po tayong namo-monitor na sama ng panahon o bagyo na maaring pumasok sa ating area of responsibility in the next two to three days,” she added.

(Northeast monsoon or the Amihan will still prevail over the huge part of Luzon so we should expect cloudy skies with scattered rain showers tonight, especially in the regions of Cordillera and Cagayan Valley, and in Aurora province. The good news is that we have not monitored any weather disturbance or storms that may enter our area of responsibility.)

The weather outlook may be a good sign for several residents in the Bicol Region and other neighboring provinces, after they were battered by Typhoon Tisoy during the first week of December.

READ: ‘Tisoy’ leaves 17 dead, isolates Bicol villages

Several areas in Bicol, like the provinces of Albay and Sorsogon, and the city of Naga have all declared a state of calamity after being badly hit by the typhoon, sustaining losses and damages amounting to billions of pesos.

READ: ‘Tisoy’ damage to Bicol schools reaches P904M

Meanwhile, sunny weather is anticipated in Metro Manila although weak rains due to the monsoon may happen during the afternoon and by nighttime.

Still due to the monsoon winds, a gale warning has been raised on the coastlines of Batanes, northern Cagayan, Babuyan Islands, and northern coast of Ilocos Norte.  Fisherfolk and those using small sea crafts are not allowed to sail as waves may reach as high as 3.4 meters to 4.5 meters.

Edited by JE