Pagasa: Expect cloudy skies, isolated rains Thursday

MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rains on Thursday, the state weather bureau said.

The forecast weather condition is expected to be caused by localized thunderstorms and the trough of Tropical Storm Surigae, which remained outside the Philippine area of responsibility.

Surigae, which was last spotted 1,140 kilometers east of Mindanao, is anticipated to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Friday morning, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.

The storm packed maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of 105 kph, moving westward slowly. It will be locally named “Bising” once it enters PAR – the second typhoon to hit the country this year.

READ: Tropical Storm Surigae still outside PAR, but trough affecting eastern Visayas, Mindanao

Pagasa said Surigae will move generally north-northwestward or northward while slightly slowing down. It could possibly intensify into a typhoon by Friday, April 16.

Surigae, however, is less likely to directly affect the country over the next three days.

KGA