The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Wednesday, Nov. 20 that the country is likely to remain free of tropical cyclones until Sunday, Nov. 24, due to the absence of weather systems that could develop into storms in the coming days.
In a climate forum on Wednesday, PAGASA Weather Specialist Veronica Torres said that they have not monitored any weather disturbances inside or near the Philippine area of responsibility.
She explained that the northeast monsoon, or “amihan,” will bring cloudy skies and light to moderate rains over Batanes until Thursday, Nov. 21.
Meanwhile, Babuyan Islands will experience cloudy skies, scattered rains, and isolated thunderstorms due to shear line, the boundary between warm easterly winds and cold northeasterly winds.
The rest of the country can expect partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers and thunderstorms due to the warm winds from the Pacific Ocean, known as easterlies.
From Friday to Sunday, Nov. 22 to 24, Torres said shear line would bring scattered rains and isolated thunderstorms over mainland Cagayan and nearby provinces, as a result of the surge of amihan.
Torres said the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)—where winds from the northern and southern hemispheres converge—may bring scattered rains and thunderstorms across southern Mindanao.
Meanwhile, the easterlies will continue to prevail over the rest of the country.