Choice for voters: Umbrella or fan

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos should bring umbrellas to voting precincts on Election Day because the weather bureau forecast cloudy skies with rain showers across the country.

For some areas, however, “pamaypay” (fans) may be needed, as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) also expects humid weather in the morning until the afternoon.

In its 4 p.m. weather bulletin on Sunday, Pagasa said a low pressure area (LPA) that made landfall at 1 p.m. in Surigao del Sur province was expected to bring cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms in several areas in Mindanao.

These include Caraga, Davao region, Northern Mindanao, North Cotabato, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur.

As of 3 p.m. on Sunday, the LPA was at the vicinity of San Luis, Agusan del Sur province. Weather specialist Ariel Rojas, however, said it would likely dissipate following its landfall.

The same rainy weather is expected over extreme northern Luzon, including Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley and Ilocos region, as the frontal system, or the boundary of warm and cold air masses, continues to affect the area.

Thunderstorms

Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers on Monday, due to localized thunderstorms.

Rojas said warm and humid weather was also expected in these areas, particularly in the morning and stretching to the afternoon.

Pagasa is monitoring another LPA that is still outside the Philippine area of responsibility. As of 3 p.m. on Sunday, it was spotted 3,020 kilometers east of Mindanao.

While the rainy season is expected around June, the weather bureau had earlier said that more frequent showers were expected in the late afternoons to evenings for the rest of the month.