RESIDENTS in Cebu and Central Visayas are expected to be greeted with partly cloudy to cloudy skies with chances of isolated rain showers and thunderstorms Thursday, June 19, 2025.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), these weather conditions are most likely to occur in the afternoon or evening.
Pagasa weather specialist Mark Gales told Sunstar in a phone interview Wednesday, June 18, 2025, that the weather will largely feature dry periods and sudden downpour due to the easterlies and the localized thunderstorms.
"For tomorrow, as well as the succeeding days, we should still expect for the weather provisions to be slightly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms,” said Gales in Cebuano.
“Sudden downpour of rain is really possible, although the dry period might be longer. Sudden downpour of rain is still possible,” he added.
Despite the high chances of rain, Gales clarified that no low-pressure area (LPA) is currently being monitored within the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) as of 2 p.m. Wednesday.
He said the prevailing weather is caused by the Easterlies, which are warm winds that originated from the Pacific Ocean.
On Thursday, the heat index is expected to range from 25 Celsius to 32 Celsius.
Under the Pagasa heat caution index, 25 Celsius falls under the “not hazardous” category while 31 Celsius falls under “caution” category, which recommends residents to stay hydrated and avoid prolonged sun exposure.
For those planning to travel by sea, coastal waters are expected to be light to moderate, with gentle to moderate winds coming from the east to northeast, signaling generally calm sea conditions.
However, Gales warned of a rough sea condition due to the possible occurrence of strong gusts caused by the thunderstorms.
Residents living in low-lying areas and landslide-prone areas are urged to be vigilant for the sudden shift in weather conditions. (Necolyn Claire Balansag, CNU intern)