Expect colder weather until February—Pagasa

MTSAT ENHANCED-IR Satellite Image 1:32 a.m., 17 January 2013

Northeasterly monsoon winds (amihan) will bring even colder mornings in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon this week, while the tail end of a cold front could trigger heavy rains in parts of the Visayas and Mindanao, state weather forecasters said.

Forecaster Ricky Fabregas of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) warned residents in Eastern Visayas, the Caraga and Northern Mindanao regions to be alert to possible flashfloods and landslides due to anticipated heavy  rains.

Metro Manilans and residents in the rest of Luzon may have to bring out more blankets as the cold spell may last until next month.

Temperatures dropped to 21 degrees Celsius in the National Capital Region  on Tuesday and may even drop slightly below this mark  in the coming days, Fabregas said.

In Baguio City, temperatures ranged from 12 to 23 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and are expected at around 14-24 degrees Friday.

The next few days are expected to be coldest between 4 and 6 a.m.  until the second week of February.

Fabregas said that the lowest temperature recorded this year in Metro Manila was 20.3 degrees Celsius on January 10.

But the weather forecaster said this spell was still considerably warmer than the 15.1 degrees Celsius recorded in 1987 and 1988, the coldest temperature registered in Metro Manila.

It will be rainy in the Eastern Visayas, the Caraga and Northern Mindanao regions, particularly in the provinces of Bohol, Camiguin and Dinagat Islands, Surigao Del Norte, Surigao Del Sur, Agusan Del Norte and Misamis Oriental. Residents there  should take precautionary measures, Pagasa said.

Likewise strong to gale force winds may affect the seaboards of northern and Central Luzon as well as the eastern coast of southern Luzon and the Visayas. The weather bureau advised fishing boats and other small crafts not to go out to sea.  Even larger vessels have been  alerted on the possibility of big waves.

In its 5 p.m. forecast Pagasa said the Eastern Visayas and several provinces in the Caraga and Northern Mindanao regions are expected to have cloudy skies with occasional moderate to heavy rains, while Palawan and the rest of the Visayas will be cloudy with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms.

Cagayan Valley and the Bicol regions as well as the provinces of Aurora and Quezon will be cloudy with light rains. Weather in Metro Manila and the rest of the country is expected to be partly cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail throughout the archipelago and the coastal waters will be moderate to rough.