MANILA, Philippines — Scattered or isolated rains due to the shear line and the northeast monsoon or “amihan,” are expected in most parts of the country, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported Saturday.
Meantime, Pagasa is also monitoring a low pressure area (LPA) outside the Philippine area of responsibility which may develop into a tropical depression and enter Philippine territory by Tuesday.
Saturday forecast
The northeast monsoon will bring cloudy skies with light rains to Cagayan Valley, Apayao, Kalinga, Ifugao, Mountain Province, and Aurora.
The shear line, meanwhile, will bring cloudy skies and scattered rain showers and thunderstorms the the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon) and Bicol regions, Marinduque, Romblon, Oriental Mindoro, and Eastern Visayas.
The rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with chances of isolated light rains due to the “amihan”.
The rest of Visayas and Mindanao can expect partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers due to localized thunderstorms.
Gale warning
Pagasa also raised a gale warning over the following areas where waves of up to 5 meters high are possible:
-Batanes
-Cagayan
-Isabela
-Ilocos Norte
-Ilocos Sur
-Aurora
-Quezon
-Camarines Norte
-northern coast of Camarines Sur
-eastern coast of Albay
-eastern coast of Sorsogon
-Catanduanes
-Northern Samar
-eastern coast of Eastern Samar
-Dinagat
-Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands
“Hanggang limang metro or nasa almost dalawang palapag po ng gusali ang taas ng alon,” Pagasa weather specialist Benison Estareja said during the public weather forecast.
(Waves may reach up to five meters or almost as tall as a two-story building.)
The following areas are also under a gale warning but waves may only reach up to four meters:
-southern coast of Occidental Mindoro
-southern coast of Oriental Mindoro
-Cuyo Islands
-western coast of Aklan
-Antique
“So, pinag-iingat natin ‘yung ating mga kababayan doon na pumapalaot at lalo na ‘yung maliliit na sasakyang pandagat, may tendency po na hindi kayo payagan na pumalaot,” Estareja warned.
(We are cautioning sailors and crewmen, especially those with small vessels, there is a tendency that you will be restricted to venture out at sea.)
Storm alert
Once it entesrs the Philippine area of responsibility, the approaching tropical depression will be given the local name Odette.
As of 3 a.m. Saturday, the LPA was spotted at 2,340 kilometers east of Mindanao.