Low pressure off Mindanao; monsoon to affect Luzon

MANILA, Philippines – Parts of the country can expect cloudy skies and rainshowers Saturday, January 5, as a low pressure area (LPA) was spotted off Mindanao while the northeast monsoon affects weather in Luzon. 

As of 2 am Saturday, state bureau PAGASA said the LPA was at 1,110 km east of Mindanao (6.0°N, 137.0°E). It is embedded along the intertropical convergence zone affecting Mindanao, bringing light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms to the area, including Eastern Visayas. 

Meanwhile, the northeast monsoon will bring light rain to Cagayan Valley while Metro Manila and the rest of the country may experience brief rainshowers or thunderstorms. 

PAGASA also warned that strong to gale force winds, associated with the northeast monsoon, are expected to affect the seaboards of northern and Central Luzon and the eastern seaboard of Southern Luzon and Eastern Visayas.

PAGASA advised fishing boats and other small seacrafts not to venture out into the sea and cautioned larger sea vessels against big waves. – Rappler.comPAGASA 24-Hour Public Weather Forecast, 3 January 2013, 5am