Rain over parts of Luzon due to amihan, frontal system

MANILA, Philippines — Cloudy skies, and rains are expected in various parts of the country due to various weather systems present, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on Friday afternoon.

According to Pagasa’s weather reports, Northern Luzon and Central Luzon will see light and occasional rains from Friday night to the weekend due to the northeast monsoon or amihan, which also brings with it colder weather.

On the other hand, Southern Luzon, eastern parts of Luzon including Cagayan Valley will see heavy rain due to the tail end of a frontal system — or the meeting of the cold amihan winds and the warm easterlies — which has moved down near Camarines Norte province.

Meanwhile, light to moderate and at times heavy rain would persist in areas affected by the tail end of a frontal system, Pagasa warns of possible flash floods in low-lying regions and landslides near mountain slopes.

Visayas and Mindanao meanwhile will also have rain, but this time due to the moist warm easterlies.  Most of the easterlies’ effects will be felt in the Caraga region, as rains may intensify during thunderstorms.

Despite rains, Pagasa said they have not monitored any weather disturbance near or inside the Philippine area of responsibility, which can trigger the formation of low-pressure areas or tropical cyclones.

Temperatures in Metro Manila and in nearby provinces are expected to be lower at about 23 to 29 degrees Celsius for Saturday, Baguio City at around 12 to 23 degrees, Tuguegarao at 19 to 25 degrees, 22 to 29 degrees for Laoag, 21 to 29 degrees for Tagaytay, and 24 to 28 degrees for Legazpi.

Iloilo and Cebu will be warmer at 25 to 31 degrees Celsius compared to Tacloban’s 24 to 30 degrees.  Davao meanwhile may see lower temperatures due to the cloudy weather, hovering at around 25 to 30 degrees compared to Zamboanga’s 25 to 33 degrees.

Because of the northeast monsoon and the other weather systems, Pagasa has placed the whole eastern seaboard of the country — from Cagayan Valley to Bicol Region to Eastern Visayas and the eastern seas of Mindanao — under a gale warning.

Also included in the gale warning are the northern waters of Luzon, western coastlines from Ilocos Region down to Central Luzon, and the northeastern seas of Palawan.

Pagasa said waves may reach 2.8 meters to 5 meters tall, or as high as a one and a half story building, may hit areas included in the gale warning.  In areas under a gale warning, fisherfolk using small boats are not allowed to set sail as sea conditions may be rough or very rough.

/MUF