Easterlies, ridge of HPA to bring scattered rains over parts of PH

The easterlies will be affecting Visayas and Mindanao while the ridge of the High Pressure Area (HPA) will extend over the eastern section of Northern Luzon, PAGASA reported.

The Davao Region and SOCCSKSARGEN will have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms due to the easterlies with flash floods or landslides possibly occurring due to moderate to at times heavy rains.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to the easterlies and localized thunderstorms with possible flash floods or landslides occurring during severe thunderstorms.

The Heat Index in Metro Manila is higher on Thursday with 41 degrees Celsius at the NAIA, Pasay City station and 39 degrees Celsius at the Science Garden in Quezon City.

Based on the Heat Index chart, the public is advised to take extreme caution as some people may experience heat cramps and heat exhaustion and continuing activity could lead to heat stroke.

The highest Heat Index forecast is for Catarman, Northern Samar at 43 degrees Celsius or within Danger classification in which the people should expect heat cramps and heat exhaustion with the probability of heat stroke after continued exposure to the sun.

The Heat Index is a measure of how hot it really feels when factoring in the relative humidity at a given location. 

In order to prevent heat-related illnesses, the weather bureau is advising the public to do the following:

• Limit the time outdoors
• Drink plenty of water
• Avoid tea, coffee, soda or liquor
• Wear umbrellas, hats, sleeved clothing outdoors
• Schedule heavy-duty activities at start or end of the day when it's cooler

The following areas are forecasted to experience 42 degrees Celsius Heat Index: Dagupan City, Pangasinan; Sangley Point, Cavite; Puerto Princesa City, Palawan; CBSUA-Pili, Camarines Sur; Dumangas, Iloilo; and Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur.

The wind speed forecast for Northern and Central Luzon is light to moderate moving in the east to southeast direction with light to moderate coastal waters.

The rest of the country will experience light to moderate wind speed moving in the east to northeast direction while coastal waters will be slight to moderate.

Sunrise will be at 5:50 a.m., sunset at 6:09 p.m. — BAP, GMA Integrated News