Most parts of Luzon to experience rain due to Siony; Pagasa monitoring new LPA outside PAR

MANILA, Philippines — A huge part of Luzon including some portions of Visayas may experience rain on Thursday as Severe Tropical Siony continues to intensify the northeasterly surface wind flow, the state weather bureau said.

Weather updates from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Wednesday afternoon predicts generally cloudy skies except for Central Luzon and Metro Manila, where the sun may shine momentarily.

However, there is still a high chance of rains, especially by afternoon and night.

“Magsisimula po na maulap na may mga pag-ulan dyan sa may Cagayan at sa Babuyan Islands pero habang mas lumalapit po si Bagyong Siony ay mas magwo-worsen ang weather conditions, may kasama na po ‘yang malalakas na pagbugso ng hangin,” weather specialist Ariel Rojas said.

(Cloudy skies and rains would start prevailing over Cagayan and Babuyan Islands but as Severe Tropical Storm Siony moves closer, weather conditions may worsen as strong winds may accompany rains.)

“Samantala magiging maulan din po ang panahon sa remaining parts ng Northern Luzon […] at sa remaining parts ng Cagayan Valley Region, and even here sa gitnang bahagi po ng ating bansa sa may Mimaropa, Calabarzon, and Bicol Region,” he added.

(Meanwhile, rainy weather would also be felt over Northern Luzon and the remaining parts of Cagayan Valley Region, and even here in the middle portion of the country including Mimaropa, Calabarzon, and Bicol Region.)

Temperatures are seen to plummet down in Northern Luzon due to Siony and the northeasterly surface wind flow, ranging from just 22 to 27 degrees Celsius in normally hot Tuguegarao, 24 to 29 degrees in Laoag, and 16 to 20 degrees in Baguio City.

Meanwhile, Metro Manila may register something between 24 to 30 degrees Celsius, while Legazpi and Puerto Princesa would get around 25 to 32 degrees.

Rains may also persist in the Visayas, with Iloilo and Cebu’s temperatures going down to 25 to 31 degrees Celsius. Still, it would be sunny in Mindanao with highs of 33 degrees in Zamboanga, Davao, and Cagayan de Oro.

Earlier, Pagasa said that Siony intensified and may further strengthen into a typhoon category as it stays stationary over the Philippine Sea.  Siony now packs maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 115 kph.

It was last seen 735 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes.  After completing its almost stationary loop, Siony is expected to move westward and be closest to the extreme Northern Luzon area between Thursday evening and Friday morning.

Meanwhile, a new low-pressure area was seen 1,760 kilometers east of Mindanao, outside the Philippine area of responsibility.  While Pagasa said that chances of this becoming a tropical cyclone are still low, the weather bureau assured that they would be monitoring further developments.[ac]