MANILA, (PNA) — The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Thursday said that Palawan and Visayas will experience cloudy and rainy weather due to an active Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).
PAGASA said that except for most parts of the country, the ITCZ is expected to affect Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) and the Visayas.
Because of the ITCZ, which is the breeding ground for low pressure areas (LPAs) or potential cyclones, weather forecaster Samuel Duran said the said areas are expected to have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with light to moderate rains.
He added the rest of the country including Metro Manila on the other hand, will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with possible rain showers in the afternoon or evening due to localized convection or thunderstorms.
Duran added that sudden rains caused by localized thunderstorms are expected to become more frequent in most parts of the country for the next two days as the ridge of high pressure area (HPA) across Luzon has dissipated Wednesday afternoon.
The HPA, which is the opposite of an LPA, is associated with clear skies.
With the presence of the ITCZ, Duran said they expect an LPA formation in the coming days.
PAGASA expects three to four cyclones to visit the country this month. These possible cyclones will be named “Odette,” “Paolo,” “Quedan,” and “Ramil,” Duran noted.
Duran added that cyclones during this month are usuallystrong due to enhanced effects of southwest monsoon or “hanging habagat.”
In its advisory, PAGASA said that light to moderate winds blowing from the southeast will prevail over Luzon and coming from the southwest to southeast over the rest of the country.
The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be slight to moderate.