Cloudy Saturday, rain showers in parts of Luzon

MANILA, Philippines — Two weather systems will bring cloudy skies and rain showers to parts of Northern and Central Luzon on Saturday, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

“Due to the effects of the shear line, as well as the northeast monsoon affecting extreme northern Luzon, overcast skies are expected in most parts of Northern and Central Luzon today,” Pagasa weather specialist Rhea Torres said in Filipino in a morning weather update.

According to Torres, the shear line will bring cloudy skies, scattered rain showers and isolated thunderstorms to Central Luzon, Ilocos region, Cordillera Administrative Region, and parts of Cagayan Valley except Batanes.

“Expect overcast skies with possible moderate to at times heavy rainfall due to the shear line,” she said.

Meanwhile, Batanes will see cloudy skies with rains on Saturday due to the northeast monsoon or “amihan.”

“Light to moderate rains are expected in Batanes due to the effects of the northeast monsoon or amihan,” Torres said.

The shear line is the area where warm easterlies and cold northeast monsoon meet, Pagasa said.

Metro Manila forecast

Torres added that fair weather is expected in Metro Manila and the rest of the country, except for brief or sudden light rains which may be caused by localized thunderstorms.

“So generally, we can expect fair weather. Any rain showers will be brief or sudden downpours caused by localized thunderstorms,” she said.

Rough seas alert!

Pagasa hoisted a gale warning over the seaboards of Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, and Ilocos Sur.

“We are expecting very rough seas in the mentioned coastal waters, making it dangerous to sail, especially for our fishermen and those with small vessels,” she said.