Pagasa: Cold winds to return

MANILA, Philippines - The northeast monsoon, which carries cold wind from China and Siberia to the country, will return in the next few days, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said yesterday.

The cold season associated with the northeast monsoon is not yet over, and the country is currently experiencing a “monsoon break,” PAGASA forecaster Jori Loiz said.

“The northeast monsoon is still active. We can still experience cold weather but not as cold as last month,” Loiz said.

In Metro Manila, the forecast temperature this month would range from 20.9 degrees Celsius to 31.7 degrees Celsius.

PAGASA recorded the coldest temperature so far this year in the metropolis last Jan. 26 at 15.8 degrees Celsius.

“If last month the northeast monsoon extended up to the Visayas, this month it will only affect northern Luzon and may last until the second half of February or early March,” Loiz said.

He said zero or one tropical cyclone is likely to enter the country this month. There is a slim chance of tropical cyclone development this February, he added.

“There is a 32 to 40 percent chance of tropical cyclone formation this month,” he said.

Two cyclones have visited the country so far this year, bringing heavy rains over some parts of the Visayas and Mindanao.