The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is monitoring a new low pressure area (LPA) that is still outside the country's area of responsibility on Friday morning, Jan. 21.
PAGASA weather specialist Samuel Duran said the LPA was at 1,855 kilometers east-southeast of Mindanao as of 3 a.m.
The LPA so far has a slim chance of intensifying into a tropical cyclone but may enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) by Saturday evening, Jan. 22, or Sunday morning, Jan. 23, he said.
Duran added that the weather disturbance has no direct effect yet on the country instead the shear line will be the prevailing weather system that may affect Bicol region and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon).
In the next 24 hours, cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms may persist in areas affected by the shear line.
However, PAGASA warned that the shear line may bring moderate to, at times, heavy rains that could trigger flash floods or landslides.
Meanwhile, the northeast monsoon, locally called "amihan," will continue to affect the rest of Luzon.
Aurora, Cagayan Valley, and Cordillera Administrative Region will have cloudy skies and rains, while Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies and isolated light rains.
PAGASA said Visayas and Mindanao may experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.