The country may remain tropical cyclone-free in the next few days but the northeast monsoon or “amihan” will still persist, a State weather forecaster said Saturday.
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration weather specialist Benison Estareja said there is a slim chance of a low-pressure area (LPA) or tropical cyclone development within the Philippine Area of Responsibility in the next five days.
Estareja said the cloud cluster observed east of Mindanao Saturday is less likely to become an LPA or tropical cyclone but may bring some rains over its eastern section.
The prevailing weather system is the northeast monsoon that may only bring short-lived light rains over Batanes and Babuyan Islands, he said.
He pointed out that a large area of the Philippines “will have fair weather, meaning there will be no continuous heavy rains or strong winds” which may significantly affect the country’s weather conditions.
Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have clear skies and warm weather from morning until noon.
The skies may become partly cloudy to cloudy in the afternoon to evening with chances of isolated rain showers due to localized thunderstorms, Estareja said.
To those who have been wondering why warm weather persists amid the amihan, Estareja said, “Mararamdaman ang malamig na simoy sa kalagitnaan ng December na magtatagal hanggang February sa kasagsagan ng northeast monsoon or amihan.”
He explained that there is already a gradual cooling or lowering of air temperatures among countries in the Northern Hemisphere, including the Philippines, as they are gradually drifting away from direct sunlight. (Ellalyn V. Ruiz)