Rainy Friday for most parts of PH due to LPA, habagat

MANILA, Philippines — Residents of Central Luzon down to Metro Manila and up to the Visayas can expect a rainy Friday due to the southwest monsoon and the low-pressure area (LPA), state meteorologists said.

The latest weather updates from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Thursday afternoon showed thick cloud bands still moving along Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, Bicol Region, and the Visayas as the LPA crossed the landmass earlier.

Pagasa said that the LPA, last seen 85 kilometers west southwest of Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro, is still not expected to develop into a tropical depression.  Still, it is seen to bring rains over the said areas in the coming days.

Due to the rains, the slightly cloudy and cold weather will persist, as daytime temperatures in Metro Manila, Laoag, and Palawan may only peak at 30 degrees Celsius, while Tagaytay’s 21 to 28 degrees would not be too far from Baguio’s 16 to 26 degrees.

Visayas may see similar conditions as Cebu and Tacloban may see temperatures of 25 to 31 degrees Celsius, while Iloilo will be slightly warmer, at 25 to 32 degrees.  In Mindanao, weather would be generally fair although isolated rain showers may be experienced, as Davao, Zamboanga, and Cagayan de Oro may feel temperature highs of 33 degrees.

The gale warning over the shorelines of Batanes, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan is still in place, as waves may reach heights of 2.8 meters to 4.5 meters.  This means that small boats are not yet allowed to set sail in the meantime. [ac]