MANILA, Philippines — The eastern portion of Luzon may experience rains from Sunday to Monday due to the tail end of a frontal system, or the area where the cold northeast monsoon and the warm easterlies meet, state meteorologists said.
Weather updates from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Sunday afternoon showed that Cagayan Valley, Aurora, and eastern portions of Southern Luzon will be affected by the frontal system, while northern areas would also see rains due to the northeast monsoon or amihan.
Satellite imaging showed cloud clusters forming up north and east of Luzon, although Pagasa said that no weather disturbances or tropical cyclones are expected in the next few days.
The weather bureau also expects the amihan to re-intensify, after a short period of weakening in the previous week.
“Wind forecast for the next two to three days, simula po Lunes hanggang Miyerkules mapapansin natin itong Luzon at itong ilang bahagi ng ka-Bisayaan halos nanggagaling sa hilagang silangan ‘yong hangin,” senior weather specialist Chris Perez said.
(Wind forecast for the next two to three days, from Monday to Wednesday, we can observe that the winds affecting the whole Luzon and other parts of Visayas would come from the northeast.)
“Ibig sabihin niyan ang amihan o ang northeast monsoon ay posibleng umiral pa rin for the next three days na siyang magdadala ng colder early morning temperatures at posibleng katamtaman hanggang sa malalakas na hangin mula sa hilagang silangan,” he added.
(This means that the amihan or the northeast monsoon can possibly prevail for the next three days which would bring colder early morning temperatures and a possible moderate to strong winds from the northeastern portion.)
Due to these factors, temperatures over Tuguegarao would range from 24 to 30 degrees Celsius, 24 to 32 degrees in Laoag, and 16 to 25 degrees in Baguio City.
The rest of Luzon would be warm and humid, as Metro Manila may register temperatures between 24 to 31 degrees Celsius, Legazpi with 25 to 33 degrees, and Puerto Princesa with 25 to 31 degrees. However, isolated thunderstorms may still occur especially by afternoon and night.
Similar conditions would persist over Visayas and Mindanao except for its eastern portions, as Tacloban and Davao may see rains. Temperatures in Cebu would play around 25 to 32 degrees Celsius, 26 to 33 degrees in Iloilo, 25 to 33 degrees in Zamboanga, and 25 to 32 degrees in Davao City.
Meanwhile, a gale warning is issued over the waters of extreme Northern Luzon due to the re-intensification of the northeast monsoon, specifically in areas of Batanes, Babuyan Islands, and the northern coast of Ilocos Norte.
Fisherfolk and boat transfer operators using small boats are not allowed to set sail in these areas due to rough to very rough sea conditions.
Pagasa further added that more coastlines may be placed under a gale warning as the amihan is expected to intensify in the coming week.