MANILA, Philippines — A cloudy, wet weekend is expected, especially in the southern parts of the country due to thick cloud bands near the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), the state weather bureau said on Friday.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), in its Friday afternoon forecast, said that the ITCZ still affects Southern Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao, which would cause continuous rains particularly over Eastern Visayas, Caraga Region, Davao Region, and Northern Mindanao.
Isolated rain showers due to localized thunderstorms are expected up North, including Metro Manila.
LPA threat
Pagasa also warned that the low pressure area (LPA) outside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) some 1,550 kilometers east of northeastern Mindanao, may intensify as it is still moving over bodies of water.
“Ang nasabing low pressure area ay wala pa namang direktang epekto sa anumang bahagi ng ating bansa. Pag dating naman kung ito ba ay lalakas o mag-iintensify, sa ngayon ang nakikita po natin — dahil nasa karagatan ito — ay hindi natin inaalis ang posibilidad na ito ay mas lumakas pa o mag-intensify into a tropical cyclone sa mga susunod na araw,” Pagasa weather specialist Ana Clauren-Jorda said.
(The said LPA still has no direct effect on any part of the country. In terms of whether it would intensify what we are seeing is — because it is still above the ocean — there is a possibility that will develop into a tropical cyclone in the coming days.)
Saturday temperatures
On Saturday, several areas in Luzon may experience slightly lower temperatures due to the rains, like Puerto Princesa at 24 to 31 degrees Celsius, Legazpi at 26 to 31 degrees Celsius, Tagaytay at 23 to 31 degrees Celsius, and Baguio City at 17 to 24 degrees Celsius.
Other parts of Luzon would still have warm weather, ranging from 26 to 32 degrees Celsius in Metro Manila; 27 to 34 degrees in Tuguegarao and 25 to 34 degrees in Laoag.
Over in the Visayas and Mindanao, most areas would also have lower than usual temperatures due to the rains.
No gale warning has been raised over any of the country’s seaboards.