Cold–not just rainy–weather to start in December

The chilly weather that comes with the Christmas season will likely start in December, weather forecasters said yesterday.

The slightly cooler winds experienced at the moment are actually  just the effects of “amihan,” or the northeast monsoon, state weather forecaster Benison Estareja, in a phone interview on Wednesday.

While “amihan” has been prevailing over the country since mid-October—particularly felt in the light rains in the northern and eastern sections of Luzon—this colder weather hasn’t yet reached the drop in temperature the Philippine public has come to expect during the “ber” months, he said.

“We’re not yet feeling the cold surge because it’s not yet winter in mainland China. It’s still autumn there,” Estareja said. “It’s in December when we will feel the colder temperatures from China and Siberia,” he added.

The average temperature in Metro Manila in November, for instance, is 22.7 degrees Celsius, but temperature in the nation’s capital Wednesday (yesterday) ranged from 24 to 25 degrees— even warmer than the average temperature in October, which was 23.5 degrees.

Average temperatures in Metro Manila in December is 21.6 degrees, Estareja said. In highland areas such as Baguio city, temperatures are expected to drop to an average of 13.7 degrees in December. Temperature in Baguio ranged from 15 to 16 degrees yesterday.

The longer nights, as compared to daytime, after the autumnal equinox in September also contributes to the colder weather during the ber months, Estareja noted. The weather forecaster noted that around this time, when the earth is tilted upward on its axis, the Philippines is exposed to less sun.

Estareja said the cool weather in the Philippines, which will start on December, is expected to last until January or February.

Meanwhile, a tropical depression to be named “Marce” is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility this morning.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Wednesday, the tropical depression was located 1,315 kilometers east of Visayas, and is expected to move west-northwest at 15 kilometers per hour.

So far, the tropical depression is packing maximum sustained winds of only 45 kilometers per hour, with gustiness of up to 55 kph.

Earlier, Pagasa said it was expecting one to three tropical cyclones to hit the country this November.

The low pressure area east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, which has been embedded in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) the past few days, has already dissipated, Pagasa said.

However, the state weather bureau said the ITCZ will continue to bring light to moderate rains and isolated thunderstorms over Visayas, Mindanao, and the Mimaropa and Bicol regions. Cloudy skies with light to moderate rains will also be experienced in Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora and Bulacan, Pagasa said.