Cloudy skies. (Stock photo/INQUIRER files)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Cloudy skies and rains will prevail in some parts of the country on Friday (March 21) due to three weather systems, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.
According to Pagasa鈥檚 5 a.m. weather forecast, these three weather systems are the northeast monsoon or 鈥渁mihan,鈥� shear line, and easterlies.
鈥溾�榊ung northeast monsoon naman natin ay magdadala ng maulap na papawirin at pag-ulan dito sa may Cagayan Valley, pati na rin sa Aurora, Quezon, at nalalabing bahagi ng Bicol region,鈥� weather specialist Chenel Dominguez said.
(The northeast monsoon will bring cloudy skies and rains in Cagayan Valley, Aurora, Quezon, and the rest of the Bicol region.)
She added that Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will see partly cloudy to cloudy skies and isolated light rains due to the northeast monsoon.
Meanwhile, the shear line, or the convergence of warm and cold winds, will bring scattered rains in parts of the Visayas and Dinagat Islands.
鈥淚naasahan pa rin po natin magdadala ng kalat-kalat na pag-ulan itong shear line dito po sa Catanduanes, Masbate, Albay at Sorsogon,鈥� she added.
(We expect the shear line will bring scattered rains in Catanduanes, Masbate, Albay, and Sorsogon.)
She said further moderate to heavy rains (50 to 100 millimeters of rainfall) are expected over Sorsogon, Masbate, Northern Samar, Samar, Eastern Samar, Biliran, Leyte, and Southern Leyte.
She then warned of possible landslides in highly susceptible areas and localized flooding in areas that are urbanized, low-lying, or near the rivers.
The easterlies, or the warm winds from the Pacific Ocean, will result in scattered rains in Mindanao.
鈥淧ara naman sa may Davao region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Sarangani, pati na rin dito sa Palawan, asahan din natin ang kalat-kalat na pag-ulan dulot naman ng easterlies,鈥� she noted.
(Davao region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Sarangani, and Palawan will experience scattered rains due to easterlies.)
A gale warning is also raised over the following coastal areas of the country, with wave heights ranging from 2.8 to 4.5 meters:
Northern and eastern coast of Catanduanes
Eastern coast of Albay
Eastern coast of Sorsogon
Northern and eastern coasts of Northern Samar
Eastern coast of Eastern Samar
Dominguez also said Cotabato City and Maguindanao are predicted to have the highest recorded heat index at 41掳C on Friday.
These places will fall under the extreme caution category where heat cramps and heat exhaustion are possible.