Fair weather expected despite LPA off Northern Luzon

Satellite Image as of 3:32 p.m., 31 August 2013 Screengrab from https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/

MANILA, Philippines – Generally fair weather is expected to prevail over most parts of the country in spite of a low-pressure area hovering east of Northern Luzon, the state weather bureau said on Saturday.

As of early Saturday morning, the low pressure area was located 980 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

The southwest monsoon, or “hanging habagat,” was still affecting Northern Luzon, bringing cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and thunderstorms over the regions of Ilocos, Cordillera and Cagayan Valley, Pagasa said.

But the low-pressure area’s “pull” of the southwest monsoon was weak; thus, most parts of the country, including Metro Manila, would  experience fair weather, with partly cloudy to cloudy skies and isolated thunderstorms, Pagasa forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said.

He said there was still a chance the low pressure area could turn into a tropical depression while at sea, but it was located too far away to directly affect the country.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the southwest would prevail over extreme Northern Luzon and its coastal waters would be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds would be light to moderate coming from the southeast to south with slight to moderate seas, Pagasa said.

The weather bureau warned that the surge of the southwest monsoon was expected to affect the coasts of Northern Luzon, including Batanes, Calayan, Babuyan Islands, Cagayan and Ilocos Norte.

The seas in these areas will be rough to very rough, and big waves between 3.4 and 4.5 meters were expected, it said.

Pagasa advised owners of fishing boats and other small seacraft not to venture out to the sea while larger sea vessels were warned about big waves.