A new weather disturbance has developed within the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). At 3:00AM today, the Low Pressure Area (LPA) was at 505 km east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. According to PAGASA Weather Specialist Chris Perez, it has slim chance of developing into a tropical depression. Meanwhile, the Northeast Monsoon is affecting Northern and Central Luzon.

Today, Cagayan Valley Region, Cordillera Administrative Region and the province of Aurora will have cloudy skies with scattered rains. In Metro Manila, Ilocos Region and the rest of Central Luzon, partly cloudy to cloudy skies will prevail except for isolated rains. In Mindanao and Eastern Visayas, cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms will be experienced. Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers will dominate.

Here’s the replay of today’s interview:

Once in a Blue Moon? You mean once every two and a half years. Blue moons are rare occurrences, but are not as rare as people think.

Tonight, the world will experience a “blue moon”, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

But in this case, the moon doesn’t literally turn blue. The moon is called blue when it’s the second full moon within a month. Usually, there is only one blue moon in a month, with of course, the exception of blue moons.
The lunar cycle is 29 days long, which means that eventually, there will be an appearance of two moons in one month. This usually happens when a full moon appears at the very start of the month, either on the first or second day.

A blue moon happens roughly once every two and a half years on average, the last two happened in August 2012 and July 2015. In rare cases, there are two blue moons in one year. The “double blue moon” occurred last 1999, and will happen again this year – one tonight, and another in March. On the other hand, when double blue moons occur in January and March, February does not have a full moon, partially because it only has 28 days.

Bluer than Blue
There have been cases of an actual “blue moon,” which are rarer than its conventional meaning. The moon changes hue when there are volcanic eruptions or large fires that leave particles in the atmosphere.

One of the longest times a blue moon occurred was when the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa erupted in 1883, equal to the blast of a 100-megaton nuclear bomb. People reported to have heard a cannon-like noise up to 600 kilometers away. Ash and particles about 1 micrometer wide rose up to the Earth’s atmosphere, causing selective light to pass through and reach the surface. The moon “turned blue” for days in areas near Krakatoa.

Reported sightings of a “blue moon” also happened after Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991. Forest fires are also a cause for blue moons because of the smoke and particles they create. In these occurrences, “lavender suns” are also reported to be seen, also caused by particles in the air.

Historical Mix-up
Originally, the blue moon was considered the third out of four full moons in a season (winter, spring, summer, fall). Each season usually experiences 3 full moons, hence the appearance of a 4th moon, or the Blue Moon, which came rarely and is considered the 13th moon in a year. This was based on Maine Farmer’s Almanac from 1819, which farmers used as reference for agricultural purposes.

However, in 1946, an article on Sky & Telescope misinterpreted the blue moon as the 2nd moon in a month, inferring from the idea that the blue moon appeared as the 13th full moon in a year. The article was titled “Once in a Blue Moon”, a phrase which integrated itself into pop culture meaning something that happens very rarely.
From this misinterpretation, a blue moon can be considered either of the following:
1. It is the extra full moon within a season, which usually has three moons (Maine’s definition); or
2. It is the second full moon within a month (Sky & Telescope’s definition).

The latter is the more popular and commonly used definition for a blue moon nowadays, with the other definition practically defunct.

Catch the blue moon tonight, peaking at 8:51 PM (Philippine Standard Time).

SOURCES:
http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-glossary.html#B
www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/what-is-a-blue-moon/

PAGASA
NASA

The trough or extension of a new weather disturbance is affecting the country. Aside from this, Tail-end of a Cold Front and the Northeast Monsoon are also dominant.

In an interview with Panahon TV, PAGASA Weather Forecaster Meno Mendoza said that the Low Pressure Area (LPA) in Mindanao has dissipated but a new weather disturbance is being monitored outside PAR.

Due to the new LPA’s trough or extension, Visayas and Mindanao will have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms will make flash floods and landslides possible. For Metro Manila, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, and Bicol Region, cloudy skies will be experienced with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms. Over Cagayan Valley Region, residents can expect cloudy skies with scattered rains. In Ilocos Region and Cordillera Administrative Region partly cloudy to cloudy skies can be enjoyed only with isolated rains.

A new weather disturbance has developed within the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

At 11:00 AM today, the Low Pressure Area (LPA) was at 300 kilometers east-southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. PAGASA Weather Forecaster Shelly Ignacio said, the LPA has a slim chance of developing into a tropical cyclone but will still dampen parts of Visayas and Mindanao.

The trough of the LPA will bring moderate to heavy rains over Palawan, the whole of Visayas, and CARAGA while light to moderate rains will prevail over Northern Mindanao. The Tail-end of a Cold Front will bring light to moderate rains over the provinces of Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate, and Romblon. Residents in these areas must undertake precautionary measures against possible flash floods and landslides and coordinate with their respective local disaster risk reduction and management offices.

Meanwhile, Northeast Monsoon is bringing rains to Northern and Central Luzon, and Tail-End of a Cold Front incudes rains in the eastern section of Southern Luzon. Today, Bicol Region, MIMAROPA, Visayas, Mindanao will have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms, making flash floods and landslides possible. In Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Aurora and Quezon, cloudy skies with scattered rains will be experienced. The rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies, or generally fair weather with isolated rains.

With the surge of Amihan, gale warning remains in the northern and eastern seaboards of Northern Luzon, down to the eastern seaboards of Central Luzon, South, rn Luzon and Visayas. Affected provinces include Batanes; Babuyan Group of Islands; the northern coast of Ilocos Norte; Cagayan; Isabela; Aurora; the eastern coast of Quezon including Polillo Islands; the northern and eastern coasts of Camarines provinces; Catanduanes; the eastern coasts of Albay and Sorsogon; Northern Samar and Eastern Samar. In these areas, fishing boats and small seacraft are prohibited from venturing due to rough to very rough seas.

Today’s Philippine Weather Forecast: January 11, 2018

Two weather systems will continue to dump rains in portions of Luzon and Visayas today. These include the Tail-end of Cold Front, the extended part of weather system wherein cold air dominates warm air mass in the atmosphere, and the Northeast Monsoon or cold and dry air from Siberia.

In the next hours, residents of Quezon, Mindoro, Bicol Region, and Eastern Visayas are alerted against cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms that may trigger flash floods and landslides. In Cordillera, Cagayan Valley and Aurora, cloudy skies will prevail with scattered rains. In Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, and the rest of Central Luzon and CALABARZON, generally fair weather, or partly cloudy to cloudy skies, is expected only with isolated rains. In the rest of MIMAROPA, Visayas, and Mindanao, partly cloudy to cloudy skies will be experienced with isolated rain showers.

Due to the surge of the Amihan, a gale warning is hoisted in the northern, eastern and western seaboards of Northern Luzon, down to the eastern seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon. Fishing boats and small seacraft are prohibited from venturing, while larger sea vessels are alerted against rough to very rough sea conditions.

The Amihan or Northeast Monsoon, cold and dry air from Siberia, dominates the Extreme Northern Luzon.

In the next hours, Batanes, Cagayan, Apayao, and Ilocos Norte will experience cloudy skies with scattered rains. The remaining parts of Cagayan Valley, Cordillera, and Ilocos Region will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rains. In the rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, down to Visayas and Mindanao, partly cloudy to cloudy skies, or generally fair weather will prevail only with isolated rain showers.

With the continued presence of the Amihan, temperatures dropped at 15.5 degrees Celsius in Tanay, Rizal on Thursday, while Baguio City and Itbayat, Batanes recorded 16.0 and 18.5 degrees Celsius, accordingly.

Gale warning is still in effect in the northern seaboards of Northern Luzon. These include coasts of Batanes, Babuyan Group of Islands, and the northern coasts of Cagayan and of Ilocos Norte. Fishing boats and other small seacraft are prohibited from venturing, while larger sea vessels are alerted against rough to very rough seas.

Tropical Storm Urduja remains almost stationary as it moves off the coast of Eastern Samar.

At 10:00 AM, the storm was at 240 kilometers east of Borongan, Eastern Samar. It has maximum winds of 75 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of 90 kph. Based on PAGASA’s 11:00 AM weather bulletin, scattered to widespread rains will continue over Eastern Visayas and Caraga and are expected to prevail over Bicol Region and the rest of Visayas within 24 hours. By coordinating with their respective local government and disaster risk reduction and management offices, residents of these areas should take precautionary measures against flooding and landslides.

Moving northwest at 5 kph, Urduja is expected to make landfall over Northern Samar – Eastern Samar area tomorrow. It is also forecast to cross Visayas and Southern Luzon before weakening into a Low Pressure Area (LPA) on December 20.

Ahead of the storm’s landfall, several areas in Samar Island have been submerged with floods:

WEATHER TODAY
Nineteen areas remain under tropical cyclone warning signals, alerting residents to stay alert for possible flash floods and landslides.

Today, Samar provinces and Biliran will experience a stormy weather. The rest of Eastern Visayas, Bicol Region, Romblon, Marinduque, Northern Cebu, Capiz, Aklan, Northern Iloilo, and Dinagat Islands will experience rains with gusty winds. Likewise, the rest of Visayas and Mindanao, CALABARZON, and the provinces of Mindoro and Palawan will have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorm. In the rest of Luzon including Metro Manila, cloudy skies will prevail except for scattered rains.

Two weather systems will continue to bring lights rains to Northern and Central Luzon today.

According to PAGASA, the Northeast Monsoon or Amihan has intensified, bringing cloudy skies with light rains in Cordillera, Batanes, Babuyan, Cagayan and Isabela. In Eastern and Central Visayas, Bicol Region, Aurora and Quezon, cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and isolated thunderstorms will be experienced due to the Tail-End of a Cold Front. In Metro Manila, Ilocos Region and the rest of Central Luzon and Cagayan Valley, partly cloudy to cloudy skies will be experienced with light rains. In the remaining parts of the country, generally fair weather will be experienced only with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

Because of the surge of Amihan, gale warning is still in effect in the seaboards of Northern Luzon where wave height may reach up to 3.4 to 4.5 meters. Fishing boats and other small seacraft are advised not to venture out into the sea, while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves in Batanes, Babuyan Group of Islands, Cagayan, the northern and western coasts of Ilocos Norte, the northern coast of Isabela, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Aurora, and the eastern coast of Quezon including Polilio Island.

In an interview with PAGASA Weather Forecaster Mendoza, he said that the country is expected to remain storm-free in the next two to three days.

 
Some areas in Northern and Central Luzon will continue to experience lights rains today.
 
According to PAGASA, the Northeast Monsoon or Amihan prevails in Northern Luzon, bringing cloudy skies with light rains in Cordillera, Batanes, Babuyan, Cagayan and Ilocos Norte. In Isabela, Aurora and Quezon, cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and isolated thunderstorms will be experienced due to the Tail-End of a Cold Front. In the rest of the country, including Metro Manila, partly cloudy to cloudy skies will be experienced but localized thunderstorms are still possible.
 

 
Because of the surge of Amihan, gale warning is still in effect off the seaboards of Northern Luzon where wave height may reach up to 3.4 to 4.5 meters. Fishing boats and other small seacraft are advised not to venture out into the sea, while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves in Batanes, the Babuyan Group of Islands, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, the northern and eastern coasts of Cagayan, Isabela.
 
Supermoon brightened the sky
Last night, a larger and brighter moon graced the skies to the delight of selenophiles or moon lovers.
This astronomical event happens when the moon, at a full phase, coincides with the perigee or its closest distance to the Earth. Yesterday, the moon reached its perigee at 4:43 PM and its full phase at 11:47 PM. PAGASA said that the moon appeared 14% larger and 30% brighter than usual.