Weather Today – July 21, 2015 | “Habagat” weakens, monsoon break comes in

After several days of dumping rains over Northern and Central Luzon, the southwest monsoon or “hanging habagat” has finally weakened due to the absence of a weather disturbance within the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). The ridge of the high pressure area will prevail today, especially in the extreme Northern Luzon.

Since a high pressure area is associated with good weather, the whole country will experience only partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated thunderstorms. Improved weather is also expected over the flooded areas brought by monsoon rains.

Meanwhile, PAGASA issued a final gale warning for the northern and western seaboards of the Northern Luzon. Fishing boats and other small seacraft are still advised to be cautious against moderate to rough sea condition.

On the other hand, severe Tropical Storm “Halola” was last spotted at 2,450 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon. With maximum sustained winds of 105 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 135 kilometers per hour, it moves west at 15 kilometers per hour. The weather bureau does not omit the possibility of Halola entering our boundary. If it enters the PAR, it could just stay in the northeastern corner and will not have a direct effect on the landmass.

In other news, “apogee” is expected to occur today, July 21, 2105 at 7:02 PM. At approximately 404,387 kilometers, the moon will be at the farthest distance from the earth. Due to its distance, the moon will appear a little smaller than the usual. Gravitational pull will also become weaker, resulting to lower tidal variations.