PAGASA: HPA may bring haze anew over NAIA

A ridge of a high-pressure area (HPA) may continue to bring haze that threatens to disrupt operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, state weather forecasters said Wednesday. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) advised the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to have its contingency plans ready to cope with the situation. "Meron tayong ridge of a high-pressure area halos nakabaling dito. Yan ang nagpapababa ng haze, sa halip na umakyat, bumababa (We have a ridge of a high-pressure area affecting Metro Manila. That is causing haze to affect visibility around NAIA)," PAGASA forecaster Elvie Enriquez said in an interview on dzBB radio. She said it is possible haze will continue to threaten visibility around NAIA. Many flights had been diverted from NAIA since last Saturday due to haze. "Dapat may contingency plan sila (The MIAA should have contingency plans in place)," Enriquez said of the MIAA. Meanwhile, PAGASA said an Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) may bring rains over Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. "Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms. The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening," it said in its 5 a.m. bulletin. Moderate to occasionally strong winds blowing from the South to Southwest will prevail over Northern Luzon and its coastal waters will be moderate to occasionally rough. Light to moderate winds coming from the Southeast to South will prevail over the rest of the country with slight to moderate seas. — LBG, GMANews.TV