Pagasa: Fair weather in Mindanao as LPA off region yet to affect PH

MANILA, Philippines — A big portion of Mindanao will generally experience fair weather despite high chances of rain on Wednesday as the approaching low-pressure area (LPA) located east-northeast of the region remains to have no direct effect on any part of the country, the state weather agency said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said localized thunderstorms will cause rains in Mindanao by Wednesday afternoon until evening.

The LPA was last located 1,275 kilometers east of northeastern Mindanao and is not likely to re-intensify into a cyclone this Wednesday, based on the 4 a.m. advisory of Pagasa. This LPA developed into a tropical depression on Monday and weakened into an LPA on Tuesday.

The LPA is forecast to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) and may again strengthen into a cyclone in the coming days – possibly on Friday, November 17, or through the weekend, according to state meteorologists.

“Hindi natin inaalis iyong posibilidad na sa mga susunod na araw, lalo na bandang Biyernes or hanggang weekend, ay posible itong maging bagyo pa rin, magre-intensify, at inaasahan pa rin natin na papasok ito ng PAR sa mga susunod na araw,” Pagasa weather specialist Obet Badrina said in an early Wednesday public report.

(We are not ruling out the possibility that in the next few days, especially around Friday or through the weekend, it may still become a cyclone, will re-intensify, and we still expect it to enter PAR in the next few days.)

Meanwhile, the shear line is still expected to bring cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms in Metro Manila, Bicol Region, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, and other parts of Southern Luzon and Eastern Visayas on Wednesday, the state weather bureau said.

The northeast monsoon (locally termed amihan), on the other hand, is anticipated to cause partly cloudy to cloudy skies with light rains in Apayao, Kalinga, Ifugao, Mountain Province, the rest of Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Region, the rest of Cordillera Administrative Region, and the rest of Central Luzon.

Also on Wednesday, Pagasa maintained its gale warning over the coasts of Batanes, Cagayan, including Babuyan Islands, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, the northern coast of Quezon, including Polillo Islands, Albay, Sorsogon, Catanduanes, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar. — Zeus Legaspi, Reporter