PALAWAN, Visayas and Mindanao will be rainy today, as the Low-Pressure Area that formed near Mindanao has moved near Palawan.

Cagayan Valley, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA and Bicol regions, as well as Aurora province will also experience rains due to another weather system – the prevailing Northeast Monsoon.

Metro Manila and the rest of western Luzon will have fair weather with perhaps lighter rains.

What’s bringing the rains

State weather forecasting agency Pagasa said the LPA that they have been monitoring since January 1 has already entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

As of 3am today, the LPA was located 195 kilometers south of Puerto Princesa in Palawan.

The Northeast Monsoon is also bringing a lot of rains in northern and eastern Luzon.

Why it matters

Although there is a low chance of forming into a typhoon, the LPA will likely dump moderate to at times heavy rains to Eastern Visayas, Caraga, Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula and Davao Region .

Rains will be light to moderate, but at times heavy, over the rest of Visayas and Mindanao.

Flash floods or landslides may happen as a result of these rains and possibly threatening the lives and properties in Palawan, Visayas and Mindanao.

The same scenario may be true in Aurora and the four Luzon regions as monsoon rains have been dampening those areas for the past few weeks.

Temperature check

With the rains, the country’s average temperature will cool down a bit today at a range of 24.6°C to 28°C.

Below the normal forecast temperature range, as expected, are Baguio City at 17°C, Tagaytay and Tuguegarao at 21°C.

Yesterday, the mercury in Baguio registered 16.6°C, while Malaybalay in Bukidnon and Basco, Batanes were at the range of 19°C.

Meanwhile, Metro Manila, Laoag, Legazpi, Puerto Princesa, Zamboanga, Tacloban, Iloilo and Cebu cities, as well as Kalayaan Islands, will still get the 30ish level of hotness today.

Gale Warning

With the entry of the LPA, the gale-force winds of the Northeast Monsoon become stronger towards south. Pagasa’s gale warning has been extended to eastern Visayas as well as Palawan.

Pagasa advised again fishermen and boatmen on board small crafts to refrain from venturing to the seas in the following areas:

December Solstice in January