New LPA to bring rains – PAGASA

MANILA, Philippines — A new low-pressure area outside the Philippine area of responsibility is expected to bring more rains over some parts of the country in the next few days.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the weather disturbance was spotted 1,490 kilometers east of Mindanao, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

PAGASA senior weather forecaster Chris Perez said the low-pressure area was not expected to develop into a tropical depression, but that this will bring rains over parts of Mindanao.

Meanwhile, the low-pressure area off Casiguran, Aurora dissipated yesterday afternoon. The other low-pressure area off Palawan was expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility last night.

Perez said the northeast monsoon and the low-pressure area outside the Philippine area of responsibility would bring rains over some parts of the country until New Year’s Day.

“At the moment we don’t expect the low-pressure area to enter the country but it will affect parts of Mindanao,” Perez said.

He said the northeast monsoon was expected to bring light rains over Batanes and Babuyan Islands last night.

The trough of the low-pressure area off Mindanao and the tail-end of a cold front were expected to dump rains over the rest of Cagayan Valley region, Aurora, Bicol, Kalayaan Island, Visayas, Caraga, Davao region and northern Mindanao last night.

Today, the tail-end of a cold front and the northeast monsoon will bring scattered rains over Northern Luzon and Aurora province, Perez said.

He added that a surge of the northeast monsoon is expected starting tomorrow. This will bring colder mornings in Northern Luzon as well as parts of Central and Southern Luzon, including Metro Manila, until Friday.

From Wednesday to Friday, generally fair weather is expected over Metro Manila apart from light rains due to the northeast monsoon.

In Baguio City, cloudy skies with light rains will prevail until Friday.

The combined effects of the northeast monsoon and the tail-end of a cold front will bring scattered rains and thunderstorms over the Bicol region.

Cloudy skies with scattered rains will also prevail over the Visayas until Friday.

In Mindanao, cloudy skies with scattered rains are expected tomorrow. PAGASA expects an improvement in weather conditions over the region by Thursday and Friday.

In an interview earlier in the day, Perez said PAGASA is not expecting any tropical cyclones until the end of the year.

“For the next three days until the end of the year we are not expecting any cyclones but a surge of the northeast monsoon will initially affect the northern Luzon area beginning Wednesday,” he said in an interview with TeleRadyo.