Shear line, ‘amihan,’ ITCZ to bring rains to most parts of PH on Dec. 28

Satellite image of weather on Saturday, December 28, 2024 at 7 a.m. (Photo courtesy of Pagasa)

MANILA, Philippines — The shear line, northeast monsoon or “amihan” and the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) will dump rains in most parts of the country on Saturday, the state weather bureau said.

In the 4 a.m. weather forecast of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, weather specialist Benison Estareja said most parts of Luzon will be rainy.

This condition is due to the shear line, or the convergence of warm and cold winds, and the northeast monsoon.

“Asahan ang mga light to moderate rains sa Batanes and Babuyan Islands. Mayroon naman tayong moderate and at times intense na pag-ulan sa may Apayao, ganoon din sa Cagayan, Isabela pababa ng Quirino, Aurora, Quezon and Camarines Norte epekto ng shear line,” Estareja said.

(Expect light to moderate rains in Batanes and Babuyan Islands. There will be moderate and at times intense rain in Apayao, Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Aurora, Quezon and Camarines Norte due to the shear line.)

READ: Overcast skies, rains to persist in most parts of PH on Saturday, Dec. 28

He also said the northeast monsoon will prevail over the rest of the northern and eastern portions of Luzon.

“Habang sa Metro Manila and the rest of Calabarzon is partly cloudy to cloudy skies at may tyansa pa rin po ng pulo-pulong paulan at pagkidlat, pagkulog lalo sa tanghali hanggang sa hapon,” Estareja noted.

(Metro Manila and the rest of Calabarzon [Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon] will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with chances of rains and thunderstorms, especially at noon and afternoon.)

READ: Pagasa predicts rainy weekend in 14 areas

Meanwhile, the weather specialist noted that the ITCZ, or the merging of winds from the northern and southern hemisphere, will bring rains in the southern parts of the country.

Estareja said that rains will prevail in the Bicol region and in a huge part of Mimaropa [Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan] due to the weather system.

“Dito sa Palawan, pinakamalalakas ang mga pag ulan for today dahil sa cloud clusters na nakapaloob sa ITCZ so mag ingat sa posibleng pagbaha at pagguho ng lupa lalo sa may katimugang bahagi ng Palawan,” he said.

(Palawan will see huge chances of rain today because of cloud clusters from the ITCZ, so beware of possible flooding and landslides in the western part of Palawan.)

“Mataas ang tyansa ng pag-ulan sa may eastern portions, kabilang na ang eastern Samar, Leyte and Southern Leyte and some parts of western and central portions of Visayas. Mayroon ding kalat-kalat na pag-ulan at thunderstorms,” Estareja added.

(Huge chances of rains are expected in the eastern portions including eastern Samar, Leyte and Southern Leyte and some parts of western and central portions of Visayas. There will also be with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.)

Many areas in Mindanao such as Zamboanga Peninsula, Caraga region, Davao region, Dinagat Islands and Surigao del Norte are likely to experience rains.

“At some point, sa natitirang bahagi ng Mindanao, magkakaroon ng pag ulan lalo na sa tanghali, hanggang sa gabi so make sure na mayroon tayong dalang payong at laging mag antabay sa advisories at heavy rainfall warning,” Estareja said.

(At some point, the rest of Mindanao will experience rains, especially in the afternoon until evening so make sure to bring umbrellas and frequently monitor the advisories and heavy rainfall warning.)

A gale warning is raised over the coastal areas of the following places:

• Batanes
• Cagayan including Babuyan Islands
• Northern Isabela
• Ilocos Norte
• Ilocos Sur
• Northern La Union
• Western Pangasinan

The weather specialist warned that small vessels should not sail due to the 2.8 to 4.5 meter-high waves that may be encountered in the sea.