Cloudy skies, rain showers to persist in many PH regions – Pagasa

MANILA, Philippines — Many regions in the country will continue to experience cloudy skies with rain showers throughout Thursday due to two weather systems, the state weather bureau said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) attributed the anticipated weather to a shear line affecting areas in Southern Luzon and Eastern Visayas, and the northeast monsoon (locally termed amihan) affecting parts of Northern and Central Luzon.

A shear line is a narrow area with sudden wind direction changes, often leading to thunderstorms or increased rainfall due to air convergence.

The Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, Caraga, Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, Quezon, Marinduque, and Romblon were forecast to still experience overcast skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms which may cause possible flash floods or landslides, the weather agency said in an early Thursday, November 16, bulletin.

READ: Pagasa: Fair weather in Mindanao as LPA off region yet to affect PH

Cloudy skies with light rains were also predicted to persist over Central and Southern Luzon, as well as Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Ilocos Region, along with the rest of the Cordillera Administrative Region and Calabarzon.

Meanwhile, the rest of the country is expected to experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms, Pagasa said.

As for the low-pressure area (LPA) being monitored east of northeastern Mindanao, Pagasa weather specialist Patrick del Mundo said that the weather disturbance is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) within the next 24 hours. This LPA is seen to bring heavy rainfall in Eastern Visayas and Caraga in the coming days, he added.

READ: Tropical depression weakens into LPA but may again become cyclone

Del Mundo also said that the LPA has a low possibility of intensifying into a cyclone within the next 48 hours, based on current available data.

“Ito pong LPA na ito ay lalong bumaba ang tyansa na maging bagyo within the next 48 hours and possible po na pumasok ito ng PAR within the next 24 hours. Bagamat magiging bagyo man ito o hindi, inaasahan po natin na sa paglapit nito, by Sunday, especially sa may bahagi ng Eastern Visayas at Caraga area, ay magdadala po ito ng mga malalakas na pag-ulan,” he said.

(This LPA has a lower chance of becoming a typhoon within the next 48 hours and it is possible that it will enter PAR within the next 24 hours. Whether it will be a typhoon or not, we expect that as it approaches, by Sunday, especially in parts of the Eastern Visayas and Caraga area, it will bring heavy rains.)

READ: Pagasa: LPA off Mindanao now a tropical depression

Del Mundo advised residents in affected areas to prepare for possible floods or landslides.

Gale warning alerts were likewise raised by Pagasa over the seaboards of:

• Ilocos Norte
• Batanes
• Cagayan including Babuyan Islands
• Isabela
• Aurora
• Northern coast of Quezon including the eastern coast of Polillo islands
• Camarines Norte
• Albay
• Sorsogon
• Northern and eastern coasts of Catanduanes
• Northern and eastern coasts of Northern Samar
• Eastern coast of Eastern Samar
• Dinagat Islands
• Eastern coast of Surigao del Norte