Large parts of the country are expected to experience generally fair weather on Dec. 25, Christmas Day, with no tropical cyclone threatening the Philippines for the rest of the year, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

PAGASA weather specialist Obet Badrina said the northeast monsoon or “amihan” continues to affect Northern and Central Luzon, while easterlies are influencing the eastern sections of southern Luzon and Eastern Visayas.

Despite this, the state weather bureau said cloud cover remains limited over much of Luzon and parts of Mindanao, allowing generally pleasant conditions to prevail on Christmas Day.

“Wala masyadong kaulapan dito sa Luzon at gayundin sa ilang bahagi ng Mindanao. Dahil diyan, inaasahan natin na malaking bahagi ng ating bansa makakaranas ng maaliwalas na panahon ngayong araw nga ng kapaskuhan bagamat posible ang pulu-pulong mahihinang pag-ulan, mga ambon lamang dito sa Luzon habang may thunderstorms na maaaring maranasan sa Visayas at sa Mindanao (There are not many cloud formations over Luzon as well as some parts of Mindanao. Because of this, we expect a large part of the country to experience fair weather this Christmas Day, although isolated light rains or drizzles are possible in Luzon, while thunderstorms may be experienced in the Visayas and Mindanao),” he said.

According to Badrina, the northeast monsoon, or “amihan,” is affecting northern and central Luzon, while the easterlies will bring possible rains over the eastern sections of southern Luzon and Eastern Visayas.

He noted that the northeast monsoon has strengthened, raising the likelihood of rain in several areas in Luzon.

“Nakita po nating muling lumalakas itong northeast monsoon o hanging amihan kaya malaki ang posibilidad ng mga pag-ulan partikular na sa malaking bahagi ng Cagayan Valley Region gayundin sa may Aurora, Quezon at asahan din natin ang ilang bahagi ng Cordillera (We have observed that the northeast monsoon or amihan has strengthened again, so there is a high possibility of rains, particularly over a large part of the Cagayan Valley Region, as well as Aurora and Quezon, and we also expect this in some parts of the Cordillera),” the weather specialist added.

Also, Badrina said PAGASA is not monitoring any low-pressure area inside or outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

He added that the chance of a tropical cyclone forming before year-end remains low.

“Wala tayong mino-monitor na anumang low-pressure area sa loob at labas ng Philippine Area of Responsibility; medyo maliit na ang posibilidad na magkaroon tayo ng bagyo hanggang sa pagtatapos ng taon na ito base sa pinakahuling datos na nakalap ng PAGASA (We are not monitoring any low-pressure area inside or outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility; the possibility of having a typhoon until the end of the year is relatively small based on the latest data gathered by PAGASA).”