MTSAT ENHANCED IR Satellite Image for 12:32 A.M. PST
Wednesday morning’s thunderstorm over Metro Manila was an isolated occurrence, so residents have nothing to worry about—the weather throughout Holy Week will be fair.
The thunderstorm lasted only minutes. Julie Mimes, forecaster for the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), said the interaction between the easterly winds and “surface heat” caused the thunderstorm.
On Thursday the eastern parts of northern and Central Luzon will have cloudy skies and scattered rainshowers, Mimes told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone. The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies and isolated rainshowers, she added.
Strong winds blowing from the northeast will make coastal waters in extreme northern Luzon “rough to moderate,” Mimes said.
Other than this, “we’ll have good weather [during] the rest of the week,” she said.
Also on Wednesday, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje called on Filipinos to take care of nature during the five-day holiday that begins today, Maundy Thursday, and ends Monday, Araw ng Kagitingan.
No matter what they plan to do during Holy Week, Paje said in a statement, they should be mindful of the impact of their activities on the environment.
“Respect for nature and what it offers us transcends religious beliefs and cultural traditions,” Paje said. “The natural resources we are enjoying now are only borrowed [and they are for] our grandchildren to enjoy. [I]t is therefore our duty to protect them.”
Paje also reminded the public to remember the employees of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources who died while protecting the environment.
“Remember [wherever] you are—[whether on the top of a mountain or in the depths of the sea]—and [whatever] you are enjoying, [you] are part of God’s creation, and there are [people who] lost their lives [protecting] it,” Paje said.