MANILA, Philippines — The combined effects of three weather systems are expected to bring cloudy and rainy weather over many parts of the country over the weekend, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.
Weather updates from Pagasa on Friday afternoon showed that the northeast monsoon or amihan is still bringing cold weather and clouds to the northern part of the country, particularly in the Cagayan Valley, the Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Central Luzon.
Meanwhile, a shear line (where warm easterly winds and the cold northeast monsoon meets) sits over the eastern part of the country, bringing rain over the eastern portions of Luzon and Visayas.
A low-pressure area (LPA) was also spotted 1,310 kilometers from Mindanao. While the LPA is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility soon, Pagasa does not expect it to intensify into a tropical cyclone.
Pagasa warns residents of areas affected by the three weather systems to stay alert, as rain-induced flash floods and landslides may happen.
“Patuloy nating pinapaalalahan ang ating mga kababayan na nakaranas ng pagbaha nitong mga nakaraang araw na maging handa pa rin, o maging alerto pa rin tayo dito sa posible pang epekto ng mga pag-ulan na aasahan nga nating magsisimula bukas,” weather specialist Raymond Ordinario said.
For Saturday, temperatures across Luzon are expected to drop slightly, ranging from 24 to 29 degrees Celsius in Metro Manila and Legazpi; 22 to 27 degrees over Tuguegarao; 25 to 31 degrees in Laoag; 15 to 20 degrees in Baguio; 20 to 28 degrees in Tagaytay; and 25 to 30 degrees over Puerto Princesa.
Cold weather is also expected across the Visayas and Mindanao, with Tacloban having something between 24 to 28 degrees Celsius; Cebu with 25 to 8 degrees; Iloilo with 25 to 29 degrees; Cagayan de Oro with 24 to 29 degrees; Zamboanga with 25 to 31 degrees; and Davao with 24 to 30 degrees.
Due to the weather systems, a gale warning remains hoisted over the seaboards of the Ilocos provinces, all the way up to the waters of Cagayan Valley, including Batanes and the Babuyan islands; down to the eastern waters of Central Luzon and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon), the Bicol Region; and the northern and eastern seas of the Samar island.
Small boats are warned not to sail in these areas as sea conditions would range from rough to very rough, with wave heights reaching 2.8 meters to 5.0 meters.