Pagasa spots cloud cluster east of Mindanao; is relief from heat coming?

May 6 satellite image of PAR | (Photo courtesy of DOST-Pagasa)

CEBU CITY, Philippines — While the easterlies continue to bring hot and dry weather in Visayas and Mindanao, a new cloud cluster forming outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) has been spotted on Wednesday, May 6, 2020.

As of the 5 p.m., the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the cloud cluster is located about 1,400 kilometers east of Mindanao.

The cloud cluster is expected to enter PAR this Friday, May 8, but has a low chance of developing into a typhoon, Pagasa said.

“Sa kasalukuyang analysis, mababa pa rin ang chance na mabuo ito bilang bagyo although hindi natin niru-rule out ang possibility na pumasok to sa ating PAR sa darating na Biyernes,” Pagasa Weather Specialist Loriedin Dela Cruz said.

(Base on our present analysis, the chance for the cloud cluster to develop into a typhoon remains low although we are not ruling out the possibility of it entering PAR this Friday.)

READ: LPA in Mindanao dissipates, ITCZ to still bring rains in Vis-Min

At present, Dela Cruz said the cloud cluster does not have any effect on the weather condition of any part of the country.

Most parts of Luzon are still experiencing generally fair weather brought by the ridge of a High Pressure Area (HPA) extending over Northern and Central Luzon. Easterlies, or winds from the Pacific Ocean, are also bringing hot and dry weather in the other parts of the country.

The Mactan Station of Pagasa recorded the maximum temperature of 34.2 degrees Celsius for Metro Cebu at 2:05 p.m. this Wednesday, May 6. Its equivalent heat index or the actual temperature perceived by the human body was at 40 degrees.

Today, the highest heat index recorded nationwide was 53 degrees Celsius at 2:00 p.m. in Butuan City. /rcg