A low pressure area (LPA) is being monitored outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), below the Philippines.

State Meteorologist Jori Loiz said the good news is, it is not expected to enter PAR and has a possibility of dissipating. However, its trough, or the extension of the LPA, affects Mindanao today.

In PAGASA’s latest weather forecast, Mindanao will experience light to moderate rains and thunderstorms.

At the same time, the northeast monsoon returns to affect extreme Northern Luzon, bringing cloudy skies and light rains over the regions of Cagayan Valley, Cordillera and Ilocos.

The remaining parts of the country, including Metro Manila, will be partly cloudy to cloudy, bearing fair weather conditions.

Meanwhile, temperatures are not as cool as the past few weeks. Loiz says although the northeast winds still affect the country, it will slowly wind down in the following weeks. Its influence on the country’s weather usually lasts up to late March. In 2014, PAGASA officially declared the termination of the Amihan Season on March 26.

WEATHER CONDITION: RAINY OR FAIR?

Today, Panahon TV delivered a trivia on how to determine if it will rain in the next few hours by the type of clouds seen in the skies. Loiz, in today’s interview, shares which clouds also herald fair weather conditions. See the video here: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=863142510396255&set=vb.441729975870846&type=2&theater

A new cloud cluster was spotted outside PAR (Philippine Area of Responsibility). According to PAGASA Weather Forecaster Jori Loiz, this could intensify into a Low Pressure Area (LPA) and could possibly enter within the PAR. Continuous monitoring of the weather condition is advisable.

Meanwhile, two weather systems are still prominent with the PAR. The northeast monsoon continues to affect Luzon while the tail end of a cold front prevails in Eastern Visayas. Loiz said aside from the expected rain showers, an LPA could also be formed from the tail end of a cold front.

Today, Eastern Visayas will experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers. Cagayan Valley and the provinces of Quezon, Aurora and Camarines Norte will have cloudy skies with possible light rains due to the northeast monsoon.

The rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, may experience drizzle but generally fair weather condition is expected within 24 hours. The rest of Visayas and Mindanao can enjoy sunny weather. Residents are advised against possible localized thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Another quake hits PH

A magnitude 5.7 quake hit Mercedes, Eastern Samar yesterday at 9:29 in the evening.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said aftershocks are expected to happen. Levels of intensities were recorded due to the said quake.

The tropical cyclone with international name “Higos: is now in typhoon category. Packing winds of 120 kph and gustiness of up to 150 kph, it slowly moves in a northwest direction.

State Meteorologist Manny Mendoza assures the public that Higos has a very slim chance of entering the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

Today, the northeast monsoon continues to prevail over Luzon, bringing cloudy skies and light rains over the regions of Cagayan Valley, Ilocos and Bicol as well as the provinces of Aurora and Quezon.

The rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, will have isolated light rains. Visayas and Mindanao, on the other hand, will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms in the following hours.

Meanwhile, strong to gale force winds associated with the surge of the northeast monsoon brings rough to very rough sea conditions over the seaboards of Northern Luzon and the eastern seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon. Fishermen are advised against sea travel in these coasts today.

WEATHER 101

Temperature and relative humidity are always included in PAGASA’s weather forecast. How does it affect our daily living?

Let’s start by defining these terms. Temperature is the degree of how hot or cold the atmosphere. Meanwhile, relative humidity is the amount of atmospheric moisture or water vapor the air can hold at a particular temperature.

Mendoza explains if we have higher temperature and lower relative humidity, it means we are having warm and humid weather. This is usually associated with the easterlies or the winds coming from the Pacific Ocean. On the other hand, if we have lower temperatures and higher relative humidity, it results to cold and dry air –also experienced same as during the northeast monsoon season.

The northeast monsoon or amihan, characterized by cold and dry air from Siberia or Mainland China, brings lower temperatures and light rains mostly over the northern sections of the Philippines. Today, it prevails over Northern Luzon, bringing cloudy skies with light rains over the regions of Cagayan Valley and Cordillera. The rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, will have at times cloudy skies with isolated light rains.

On the other hand, Eastern Visayas and CARAGA will experience light to moderate rains today so better bring your umbrellas before leaving for work or school. The remaining part of the country can expect fair weather conditions with partly cloudy to cloudy skies in the following hours.

Meanwhile, strong to gale force winds is expected over the seaboards of Northern Luzon, prompting PAGASA to issue a new gale warning this morning. Sea travel will be risky over the mentioned seaboards. Fishermen are advised against venturing out into the sea in the following hours.

In other news, Tropical Storm Higos is now located at 2,300 kms. east of the Philippine Area of Responsibility. Packing winds of 100 kph and gustiness of up to 180 kph, it continues to move in a west northwest direction. State Meteorologist Meno Mendoza says it is still too far to affect the country. However, continuous monitoring will be implemented.

WORLD WEATHER NEWS IN NEW ENGLAND

After the record-breaking late January blizzard, New England prepares for another big storm in the following days.

Classes have been cancelled in Boston until Tuesday. Drivers and commuters are also warned against travel as they brace for another winter storm over a big part of Southern New England as well as Central New York and the Western Catskills – areas identified in the winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service.

The northeast monsoon continues to affect Luzon and Eastern Visayas. This cold and dry air will bring mostly partly cloudy skies with light rains in Cagayan Valley, Cordillera, Ilocos, Bicol and Eastern Visayas and in the provinces of Aurora and Quezon, while Metro Manila will have fair weather conditions aside from drizzling.

Good weather will prevail in the rest of Visayas and Mindanao.

Due to the surge of the northeast monsoon, gale warning is up over the seaboards of Northern Luzon. This includes Batanes, Calayan, Babuyan, Cagayan, Ilocos provinces, La Union, Pangsinan and Isabela. Seaboards mentioned will have rough to very rough sea conditions caused by wind speeds of 52 to 63 kilometers per hour.

Wave height may reach 4.5 meters. Fisherfolk and other small sea vessels are advised against big waves.

February: Good morning to colder weather!

According to PAGASA, the northeast monsoon, locally known as amihan, is at its peak during this month. Aside from light rains, colder mornings will be more common.

Yesterday, most parts of Luzonexperienced lower temperatures, which are expected to drop in the coming days.

The cold and dry air of the northeast monsoon or amihan will bring cloudy skies with light rains in Cagayan Valley, Cordillera, Ilocos, Bicol, and Eastern Visayas, and in the provinces of Aurora and Quezon. Meanwhile, the rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, may experience drizzle due to the same weather system.

The rest of Visayas and Mindanao will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers and thunderstorms.

Since the start of northeast monsoon, PAGASA has recorded a significant drop in temperature. Expect a gradual decrease in temperature in the coming days as the country continues to experience the presence of the amihan, Weather Forecaster Jun Galang said.

Le Tour De Filipinas 6th Edition: Who will triumph in the final stage?

The sixth edition of the road cycling tournament, Le Tour De Filipinas, is now on it’s final leg. Cyclists will face the mountainous terrain of Kennon road from Lingayen, Pangasinan to Baguio City with a distance of 150.10 kilometers.

Yesterday on its Stage 3–Iba, Zambales to Lingayen, Pangasinan, which took three hours of racing– RTS, Santic Racing Team member Tino Thomel from ___ (state which country) won 3rd place.

2nd place on the leg is Mehdi Sohrabi of TPT Cycling Team from Iran, while Hariff Salleh of Terengganu Cycling Team from Malaysia was the first placer.

Watch the highlights of Le Tour De Filipinas Stage 3 on the link below:

The northeast monsoon or hanging amihan continues to prevail in Luzon. This weather system is cold and dry air coming from Mainland China or Siberia. It usually peaks in January, bringing light rains and colder weather.

Today’s forecast shows that cloudy skies with light rains will be experienced in Eastern Visayas, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera, Bicol Region, Aurora and Quezon. Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains. Meanwhile, the rest of Visayas and Mindanao will enjoy generally fair weather with possible isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

As amihan slightly weakens, sea conditions become favorable for sea travel. Gale warning was terminated today which means fishing boats and other small seacraft can venture out into the seaboards of the country.

On the other hand, PAGASA Weather Forecaster Meno Mendoza said the amihan can also reach Visayas and Mindanao. However, its effect will be mainly felt over Luzon. Here are the lowest temperatures recorded yesterday:

Mendoza added that no weather disturbance is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) within the next two days or until the end of January. The public is still advised to monitor updates as changes may still occur.

Warm ocean triggers glacier melt

The waters around the Totten Glacier is observed to be melting due to the global sea level rise, according to scientists. This glacier is the largest glacier in East Antartica measuring 120 kilometers long and more than 30 kilometers wide.

A voyage to the cold region showed that the waters were approximately 1.5 degrees Celcius warmer than the other areas in the southern hemisphere. In an article published in Agence France-Presse, Chief Scientist Steve Rintoul said the warm waters can be a sign that East Antartica is also vulnerable to the effects of Climate Change. He added that this study will be very useful in the improvement of predicting future sea level rise.

The Philippines is forecast to remain bagyo-free in the remaining days of January. However, two weather systems will still prevail in the country – the Tail-end of a Cold Front affecting Eastern Visayas and the Northeast Monsoon ub Luzon.

Based on PAGASA’s latest weather forecast, Eastern Visayas and CARAGA will continue to experience light to moderate rains and isolated thunderstorms. Luzon, including Metro Manila, will have partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with isolated cases of light rains. The rest of Visayas and Mindanao, on the other hand, can expect fair weather conditions today.

The weather bureau also released the final gale warning as the surge of the Northeast Monsoon weakened. Sea condition will be moderate to rough.

Meanwhile, PAGASA recorded 18.1°C in Metro Manila today, January 76, 2015. So far, this is the lowest temperature listed in the said area during the current Amihan Season. State meteorologist Buddy Javier says lower temperatures are still possible in the following days or weeks as we are still in the peak months of the Northeast Monsoon.

Philippu

No weather disturbance or tropical cyclone is existing within the Philippine Area of Responsibility. However, due to the prevailing weather systems, some areas will still experience rains today. The tail end of a cold front will affect the eastern section of Central and Southern Luzon while the northeast monsoon or amihan continues to affect Northern Luzon.

The tail end of a cold front is the extended part of a cold front. The cold front, on the other hand, is formed when the cold air mass dominates the warm air mass during convergence. Meanwhile, amihan is cold and dry air coming from Mainland China or Siberia.

Bicol Region, Aurora, Quezon and Samar will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and isolated thunderstorms. Cordillera, Ilocos and Cagayan Valley will experience cloudy skies with light rains. Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains while the rest of Visayas and Mindanao will have a generally fair weather aside from the possible isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

Amihan continues to bring colder mornings, mostly in Northern Luzon. This morning, PAGASA recorded the lowest temperature in Baguio City at 11.2°C.

Gale warning is still up over the eastern seaboard of Luzon and Visayas, as well as the northern and western seaboards of Northern Luzon. Expect wind force of 52 to 63 kilometers per hour with wave height of 3.4 to 4.5 meters. With rough to very rough sea conditions, fishing boats and other small sea craft are not advised to venture out into the sea.