PAGASA sees fairer weather

The entire country will experience fair weather, apart from some localized rain showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon or evening, in the next few days due to a monsoon break.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) weather specialist Nikos Peñaranda said they are monitoring a severe tropical storm east of the country with international name "Jebi."

“The southwest monsoon has receded northward and still affecting portions of Northern Luzon, particularly Batanes and Ilocos areas. Fair weather will dominate much of the country because of a generally weak habagat but localized afternoon or evening rain showers or thunderstorms may still occur,” Peñaranda said.

There will be a monsoon break in the coming days, he added.

Peñaranda, however, said that "Jebi" has a slim chance of entering the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) as of Wednesday.

Should it enter the PAR, "Jebi" will be given a local name of "Maymay."

As of Wednesday morning, "Jebi" was at 3,485 kilometers east of Central Luzon with maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 120 kph.

Meantime, the likelihood of an El Niño weather event developing as early as next month has further increased to 65 percent.

According to Ana Liza Solis, OIC of the PAGASA Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section, the country is still experiencing a neutral weather condition, where there is neither La Niña nor El Niño.