Cloudy skies over most of Luzon, Visayas due to Ulysses, amihan
MANILA, Philippines — A huge part of Luzon and some portions of Visayas may see cloudy skies and rains starting Tuesday due to Tropical Storm Ulysses and the northeast monsoon, the state weather bureau said.
Forecasts from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Monday showed that all of Luzon, except Palawan, would see rains as the northeast monsoon or amihan brings winds over Northern Luzon, while Metro Manila and other areas may start feeling the effects of Ulysses’ trough as it nears land.
Ulysses was last spotted 575 kilometers east of Borongan City in Eastern Samar, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 80 kph. It is moving northwest at a speed of 15 kph.
“Bukas naman, asahan na posibleng makaranas na ng mga pag-ulan at paminsan-minsang pagbugso ng hangin ang Bicol region dahil nga dahan-dahan pong kikilos palapit ng landmass ng bansa ang Bagyong si Ulysses within the next 24 to 48 hours, at posible ngang tumawid ng Southern Luzon in the next three days,” senior weather specialist Chris Perez said.
(For tomorrow, we can expect people in Bicol region may start experiencing rains and occasional gusts of wind as Tropical Storm Ulysses start to near the country’s landmass within the next 24 to 48 hours, and may cross Southern Luzon in the next three days.)
“Sa natitirang bahagi naman ng Luzon except for the Palawan area, generally magiging maulap bukas, kalat-kalat ang pag-ulan habang sa Palawan mainit at maalinsangan maliban na lang sa ilang isolated rain showers o thunderstorms lalo na sa dakong hapon o gabi,” he added.
(For the remaining parts of Luzon except for the Palawan area, it would be generally cloudy tomorrow with occasional rains while in Palawan it would be warm and humid although isolated rain showers or thunderstorms may still occur by afternoon and night.)
As the northeast monsoon brings winds, temperatures up north can plummet to 23 to 28 degrees Celsius in Laoag, 23 to 27 degrees in Tuguegarao, and 15 to 23 degrees in Baguio. It will also be slightly colder in Metro Manila at 24 to 31 degrees, Tagaytay with 21 to 28 degrees, and Legazpi with 24 to 29 degrees.
For Visayas and Mindanao, eastern parts may see lower temperatures due to Ulysses, ranging from 24 to 29 degrees Celsius in Tacloban, 25 to 30 degrees in Cebu, and 24 to 32 degrees in Davao — compared to Zamboanga’s 23 to 33 degrees and Iloilo’s 26 to 31 degrees.
Earlier, Pagasa said that Ulysses is expected to intensify to a typhoon category before it makes landfall over Bicol Region between Wednesday and Thursday morning.
Forecast track also showed that there is a high possibility of Ulysses hitting Bicol Region and Southern Luzon before directly moving over Metro Manila.
No tropical cyclone wind signals have been raised as of now but Pagasa says they may start issuing warnings by Tuesday.
Currently, gale warnings are also raised over the whole Ilocos Region, extreme Northern Luzon, and Cagayan Valley due to the northeast monsoon or amihan, and at the coastlines of eastern Catanduanes, eastern Albay, eastern Sorsogon, northern and eastern Northern Samar, and eastern part of Eastern Samar due to Ulysses’ threat.
Boats are not allowed to set sail on these areas as sea condition may range from rough to very rough, which may be dangerous for seafarers.
