Rain possible in Luzon due to shear line despite dissipating LPA – Pagasa

MANILA, Philippines — The low-pressure area east of the country has dissipated, though the shear line will bring sporadic rain showers to different parts of Luzon, the state weather agency said Thursday.

Weather updates from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Thursday afternoon showed that the shear line, or the convergence of warm winds from the south and cold winds from the north, moved up and is now located east of Central Luzon.

Due to the shear line, Pagasa said that cloudy skies with rains might be experienced in the coming hours over Cagayan and Isabela provinces, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa.

Pagasa warned that the shear line could cause moderate to heavy rains, just like what Eastern Visayas and Mindanao residents experienced during the Christmas weekend flash floods.

“Sa ating mga kababayan na affected nitong shear line, doble ingat po tayo dahil itong shear line maaari itong magdala ng mga katamtaman hanggang sa malalakas na pag-ulan kaya lalo na po sa mga kababayan nating nakatira sa mga low-lying areas at landslide-prone areas, doble ingat po tayo sa mga pagbaha at pagguho ng lupa,” weather forecaster Veronica Torres said.

(To our fellow Filipinos affected by the shear line, please take extra care because this weather phenomenon brings moderate to heavy rains that’s why people living in low-lying areas and landslide-prone areas should watch out for flash floods and landslides.)

READ: Floods drive thousands to shelters on Christmas 

Meanwhile, the northeast monsoon or amihan is still expected to bring colder weather up north, particularly over Cagayan Valley and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

Temperatures over Tuguegarao and Baguio increased slightly but are still relatively low at 20 to 25 degrees Celsius and 14 to 22 degrees, respectively.  Laoag would have something around 20 to 30 degrees, Metro Manila and Puerto Princesa with 24 to 30 degrees, Tagaytay with 20 to 29 degrees, and Legazpi with 24 to 31 degrees.

Over Visayas and Mindanao, the weather would gradually improve from the rains brought by the shear line and the LPA.  Temperatures in Cebu and Tacloban would range between 24 to 31 degrees Celsius; Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro with 24 to 30 degrees; and Zamboanga and Davao with 24 to 32 degrees.

A gale warning remains raised, although the number of areas included has been reduced.  Thursday’s gale warning only applies to the coastline surrounding the entire Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and waters off Aurora province.

JPV/abc