Pagasa says rains to persist even if LPA clears out

MANILA, Philippines — Moderate to heavy rain showers are still possible especially in the Visayas and the Bicol Region even if the low-pressure area (LPA) east of the country has already dissipated, the state weather bureau said.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) weather update on Thursday afternoon, residents of the above-mentioned areas can expect cloudy skies and rains in the next 12 hours, as the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) remains prevalent.

“Asahan pa rin within overnight or within the next 12 hours mataas ang tsansa ng mga pag-ulan sa buong ka-Bisayaan, gayun din sa Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula, at Quezon province,” weather specialist Benison Estareja said.

“‘Yong nature po ng mga pag-ulan natin kapag may mga thunderstorms, malalakas po na hangin ang dala at malalakas na ulan, at minsan nagkakaroon nga tayo ng mga pagkidlat, pagkulog, and in instances maaaring magkaroon din ng buhawi or hale,” he added.

Other areas in the country would also experience rains, but Pagasa said that these would be due to localized thunderstorms and not the ITCZ.

Temperatures in Metro Manila would range from 25 to 34 degrees Celsius, while it would be slightly colder down south with 25 to 33 degrees in Legazpi, 24 to 31 degrees in Tacloban and 25 to 32 degrees in Palawan, Iloilo, and Cebu.

Meanwhile in Mindanao, the southern portions of Mindanao would see more fair weather with temperatures in Davao playing around 25 to 33 degrees Celsius.

No gale warning was raised which means that seafarers and fisherfolk using small boats can set sail, but Pagasa warned that sea condition in Mindanao’s waters would vary during thunderstorms.  The rest of the country on the other hand would see a slight to moderate sea condition. [ac]