Weather Today – March 18, 2017 | LPA spotted, rains prevail

A Low Pressure Area (LPA) was spotted outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) and was last located at 1,560 kilometers east of Mindanao. In an interview with PAGASA Weather Forecaster Gener Quitlong, as of now, the said weather disturbance has a slim chance of developing into a tropical cyclone, but its trough is expected to dump rains over Mindanao.

The trough refers to the extended part of the LPA, which is composed of convective clouds. In the next hours, the regions of Caraga and Davao will experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rains.

Meanwhile, the Northeast Monsoon or Hanging Amihan remains dominant. This will bring partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon. The remaining parts of the archipelago can expect generally fair weather apart from the isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

No gale warning was issued today but fisherfolk and those with small seacraft are still advised to be vigilant as moderate to rough seas will be experienced mostly in Luzon and Visayas. The coastal waters in the rest of the country will be slight to moderate.

Despite the prevailing Amihan, rising temperatures are already observed in some parts of the country. On Friday, residents of Iba, Zambales endured a scorching temperature of 36.5 degrees Celsius. Here are some of the highest temperatures recorded yesterday:

Iba, Zambales – 36.5°C
Cotabato – 34.7°C
Dagupan City – 34.0°C
San Jose del Monte, Occidental Mindoro – 34.0°C
General Santos City – 34.0°C

As temperatures escalate and the weather gets warmer, many people have asked about the end of the Amihan season. One of them is Panahon TV follower Rodrigo Alarde Gregorio Jr., who sent his question on our facebook page.

Quitlong said the Amihan may be terminated anytime next week or probably by the end of March. The termination of the Amihan is a significant event in the Philippines because it signals the official start of the Hot and Dry Season in the country.

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