Cloudy skies over Luzon still due to Amihan, frontal system

MANILA, Philippines — A huge portion of Luzon and some parts of Visayas are still expected to see cloudy skies and rain showers because of the northeast monsoon or Amihan and the tail end of a frontal system, the state weather bureau said on Wednesday afternoon.

Satellite images from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) showed that cloud clusters still move over the Luzon landmass, especially on its eastern side.

This means that from Wednesday night to Thursday, scattered rains and thunderstorms would occur over the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas due to the tail end of a frontal system.

On the other hand, the amihan would bring light to moderate rains in Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and Calabarzon.

Pagasa said that the recent rainfall was brought by these two weather systems and not a low-pressure area or a tropical cyclone, as the formation of any weather disturbance is not expected, especially with the amihan getting stronger again.

Temperatures are seen to go down again in Metro Manila at just 23 to 29 degrees Celsius, Tuguegarao with 21 to 27 degrees, Baguio with 15 to 23 degrees, Tagaytay with 21 to 28 degrees, Legazpi with 23 to 33 degrees, and Puerto Princesa with 22 to 32 degrees.

Isolated rains may also occur in the Visayas, bringing lower temperatures over Iloilo and Cebu, which may see around 25 to 30 degrees Celsius, Tacloban with 23 to 31 degrees.  Mindanao will be warmer with 24 to 33 degrees in Davao, 25 to 32 degrees in Zamboanga, and 23 to 31 degrees in Cagayan de Oro.

No gale warnings have been raised, but Pagasa warned that an advisory might be released by Thursday when the northeast monsoon starts to affect sea conditions.

Wave heights over northern and eastern sections of Luzon would range from 1.2 meters to 3.0 meters, while the rest of the country can see milder seas, with waves as high as 0.6 meters to 2.1 meters.

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