Weather: Rain looms over Luzon, Mindanao

A wind convergence and an inter-tropical convergence zone may bring rain to parts of Luzon and Mindanao in the next 24 hours, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Monday afternoon. In its 5 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA said the wind convergence is affecting extreme northern Luzon while the ITCZ is affecting Mindanao. "Extreme northern Luzon, Palawan and Mindanao will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms. The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms," it said. An ITCZ is considered a breeding ground for low-pressure areas, some of which can potentially become cyclones. The US National Aeronautics Space Administration describes the ITCZ as the region that circles the Earth, near the equator, where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together. "The intense sun and warm water of the equator heats the air in the ITCZ, raising its humidity and making it buoyant. Aided by the convergence of the trade winds, the buoyant air rises. As the air rises it expands and cools, releasing the accumulated moisture in an almost perpetual series of thunderstorms," it said. Meanwhile, PAGASA said moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast and east will prevail over extreme northern Luzon and coming from the east to southeast over the rest of Luzon. Earlier Monday, PAGASA said a potential cyclone, a shallow low-pressure area, had exited Philippine territory. However, PAGASA also said it expects at least two cyclones to enter Philippine territory in November. — RSJ, GMA News