LPA seen east of Luzon, but won’t progress into a cyclone

MANILA, Philippines — A low pressure area (LPA) was seen east of Luzon, but state meteorologists say that it is not expected to progress as a tropical depression due to the northeast monsoon or amihan.

Weather forecasts from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Thursday afternoon showed that the LPA was last seen 265 kilometers east of Infanta, Quezon.

Cold winds brought by the northeast monsoon would prevent the LPA from progressing further as tropical cyclones need warm air — not cold air — to intensify.  Nevertheless, it is still expected to bring rains over Cagayan Valley, Aurora province and Quezon on Friday morning.

“Ngunit hindi naman natin ito nakikitaan ng potensyal na magpatuloy dahil nga malamig ang hangin sa ibabaw, patuloy pa ring umiiral ang ating hanging amihan dito sa malaking bahagi ng Luzon,” weather specialist Raymond Ordinario said.

(We are not seeing any potential for it to develop as a tropical cyclone due to the cold winds above, as the northeast monsoon continues to prevail over a big part of Luzon.)

“So ‘yong nakikita nating maninipis na kaulapan ito ang nagpapakita na may kalamigan na ‘yong hangin natin […] magkakaroon tayo ng malamig na madaling araw lalo na dito sa area na silangang bahagi Hilaga at Gitnang Luzon,” he added.

(So the cold winds we are monitoring this would bring colder weather in the country, we can expect dawn and early morning to be colder than usual especially in the eastern portions of Northern and Central Luzon.

Despite the LPA’s presence, Pagasa predicts that no weather disturbance would affect the country in the next three to five days.

Except for the areas mentioned, most parts of Luzon would have a generally fair weather.

Temperatures in Laoag and Tuguegarao may go down to 21 to 31 degrees Celsius and 23 to 30 degrees, respectively, while Metro Manila may have something in between 23 to 32 degrees.

Tagaytay and Baguio — usual cold spots — may register around 22 to 29 degrees Celsius and 14 to 25 degrees.

Visayas and Mindanao will also see a fair weather except for isolated thunderstorms, as temperatures over Iloilo, Cebu, Tacloban, and Davao may play within 25 to 32 degrees Celsius.

Because of the northeast monsoon, gale warnings are still in place over the whole northern and eastern seaboards of Luzon, plus Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.  Fisherfolk and boat transfer operators using small boats are temporarily not allowed to set sail due to rough to very rough seas.

EDV