Siberian winds bring the ‘brrr’ in the morning

Tourists gaze at the Mansion House in Baguio City in this file photo. Baguio recorded the country’s coldest temperature so far this year 2012 on November 5. Expect cool nights and cold mornings in the days leading up to Christmas, the state weather bureau said Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. AFP PHOTO/JAY DIRECTO

MANILA, Philippines—No more basking in the sun. It’s time to huddle.

Freezing winds blowing from Siberia are bringing the “brrr” in November, so expect cool nights and cold mornings in the days leading to Christmas, the state weather bureau said Friday.

Metro Manila experienced its coolest time yet this year at 21 degrees Celsius on Nov. 3 while Baguio City recorded the country’s coldest temperature this year at 14.6 degrees Celsius on Nov. 5, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

“But we can expect the temperature to drop even lower in the coming days because of the amihan,” Pagasa forecaster Meno Mendoza said, referring to the term locals use for the northeast monsoon.

The northeast monsoon traditionally ushers in the Christmas weather, thanks to winds coming in from ice-cold Siberia. It has been the prevailing weather system in the Philippines since late October and will continue until February, Mendoza said in a phone interview.

“Even the nights are growing cold. But at daytime, it will be sunny, interrupted by brief and sporadic rain showers brought on by clouds carried by amihan winds,” Mendoza said.

No storm is expected in the next few days but Pagasa is anticipating three to five tropical cyclones to drop in before the year ends.

In its weather outlook, Pagasa said Mindanao will be cloudy with occasional light to moderate rain showers or thunderstorms, while Cagayan Valley, the regions of Cordillera and Bicol, and the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Aurora and Quezon will have light rains.

“Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be partly cloudy with isolated brief rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening,” it said.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over Luzon and Eastern Visayas and coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate, with slight to moderate seas, Pagasa said.

First posted 8:25 pm | Friday, November 9th, 2012