MANILA, Philippines — The northeast monsoon, shear line, and easterlies continue to influence weather in the country, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Thursday.
In a morning weathercast, Pagasa specialist Chenel Dominguez said the shear line will bring cloudy skies with scattered rains and isolated thunderstorms in the Bicol Region, Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Aurora, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, and Romblon.
“Due to the easterlies, which [are] warm winds, and then [the] northeast monsoon, which is cold winds, this interaction results in what we call [the] shear line that currently affects the eastern section of Luzon,” Dominguez explained in mixed Filipino and English.
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Cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms were also expected in Eastern Visayas, Caraga, Davao Region, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi due to the easterlies, according to Dominguez.
“The eastern section of Visayas at Mindanao will also experience overcast skies with scattered rain showers due to the easterlies,” she said.
The northeast monsoon, locally termed amihan, was anticipated to bring cloudy skies with rains to the Cordillera Administrative Region and the rest of Cagayan Valley.
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It will likewise cause partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains in Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, and the rest of Central Luzon on Thursday, January 16.
Also for Thursday, Pagasa raised a gale warning over the seaboards of Batanes, Cagayan, including the Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan due to the shear line.
Wave heights of 2.8 to 5.5 meters may be expected in these areas, the state weather bureau added.
“So, we are advising our countrymen that it’s dangerous to go sailing on these seaboards,” Dominguez said.