Easterlies and northeast monsoon affect many areas in the country as seen in the satellite image on November 28, 2023. (Photo from Pagasa)
MANILA, Philippines — Southern Luzon, Eastern Visayas, and Northern Mindanao may experience overcast skies and rainfall due to the effects of easterlies, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on Tuesday.
Easterlies are warm winds blowing from the Pacific Ocean.
Due to the easterlies, the areas previously inundated by flooding due to the effects of shear line and low-pressure area (LPA) may again be drenched by rainfall.
READ: DSWD: Shear line, LPA affect 1.2 million people; over 18,000 families evacuated
In a weather bulletin, Pagasa forecast that the Bicol Region, Aurora, Quezon, Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar may experience cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.
“It is expected that frequent rainfall will occur in the eastern parts of southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, still due to the influence of easterlies,” weather specialist Patrick Del Mundo said in Filipino.
“Aasahan natin ang maulap na kalangitan na may kalat-kalat na pag-ulan, pagkidlat, at pagkulog sa northern Samar at eastern Samar dahil pa rin sa epekto ng easterlies. Possible nga ang malakas na pag-ulan ngayong araw,” he added.
(We can expect cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms in northern Samar and eastern Samar due to the continued influence of easterlies. Heavy rainfall is possible today.)
Bicol Region, northern Samar, eastern Samar, and northern Mindanao have been previously swamped by flooding due to the effects of shear lines and LPA.
Further, Eastern Visayas, Caraga, and Davao Region are likely to experience isolated rain showers and thunderstorms, Pagasa said.
Meanwhile, the northeast monsoon, locally known as amihan, will bring rains in Batanes, Cagayan, and Isabela.
Amihan will also bring cloudy skies with isolated light rains in Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, and the rest of Cagayan Valley, the weather bureau reported.
As for the country’s seaboards, a gale warning is still in effect in the coastal areas of Batanes, Ilocos Norte, and Cagayan, including the Babuyan Islands.
“It is advised for our compatriots setting sail along all coastlines of Luzon to be cautious as there is still a possibility of experiencing moderate to high waves today,” the weather specialist advised.