Rainy New Year’s Day, says Pagasa

MANILA, Philippines - The weather bureau reported yesterday that the northeast monsoon and the tail-end of the cold front are expected to bring rains over most parts of the country, including Metro Manila, until New Year’s Day.

“The weather systems to affect most parts of the country are the northeast monsoon associated with strong to gale force winds and the tail-end of cold front will prevail in the next five days,” the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its special weather outlook for the New Year.

PAGASA said good weather condition is expected over Cagayan Valley, including Aurora province and Cordillera Administrative Region until Sunday. Light rains will affect the areas on Monday until Tuesday.

Occasional rains would prevail over southern Luzon, eastern Visayas, and eastern Mindanao due to the southward migration of the tail-end of the cold front on Monday until Tuesday.

PAGASA said Surigao, Dinagat and Leyte provinces would experience frequent rains on Jan. 2 that could trigger flashfloods and landslides.

The rest of the country, including Metro Manila, would be partly cloudy to at times cloudy with passing light rains until Tuesday.

PAGASA warned fishing boats and other sea vessels not to venture out to the seaboards of Northern and Central Luzon (western and northern) due to big waves generated by the monsoon surge.

Likewise, the bureau warned fisherfolk over the seaboards of Eastern Luzon, Southern Luzon and the Visayas against strong winds with moderate to rough seas.