Colder mornings ahead – Pagasa

MANILA, Philippines - The northeast monsoon will continue to bring cold mornings until the first week of March, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said yesterday.

The northeast monsoon, bringing cold winds from China and Siberia, usually occurs from December to February though it sometimes extends until the first half of March, according to the state weather bureau.

“We expect the temperatures to go down further in January and February,” PAGASA weather forecaster Buddy Javier said.

PAGASA said the months of January and February are generally the coldest in the Philippines.

Since the northeast monsoon set in last October, the coldest temperatures recorded so far in Baguio City and in Metro Manila were 11 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Meanwhile, PAGASA senior weather forecaster Robert Sawi said no tropical cyclone or low-pressure area is expected to affect the country this week.

However, the tail-end of a cold front will continue to affect the Visayas and Mindanao, bringing occasional to frequent rains over the areas in the next seven days, Sawi said.

Luzon will be partly cloudy to at times cloudy with passing light rains particularly over the eastern section, he said.

Sawi said the surge of the northeast monsoon will also cause rough to very rough coastal waters in Luzon.