WesternPacificWeather.com

Time to enjoy the first weekend of 2016, but colder air is moving in to the north, while the central region starts to dry out a bit, and it stays HOT in parts of the south.

NORTH

Colder air is pushing southward into Mongolia, northern and northeastern China, eastern Russia, and Korea this weekend, reinforcing winter’s tight grip across the region. Aside from a few clouds far to the north, the system is relatively dry, so it’s looking like it will be a pretty nice weekend ahead for most areas in the region. Southern locales of the region will see mostly steady temperatures this weekend, while it will be warming up a bit each day in Japan, as slightly warmer air gets pulled up ahead the next cold surge arriving in a few days.

City	Sat. High C (F)	Sun . High C (F)	Conditions (Sat/Sun)
Ulaanbaatar	-17 (1)	-18 (0)	Cloudy/Pt. Cloudy
Vladivostok	-1 (30)	-9 (25)	Pt. Cloudy/Fair
Beijing	8 (46)	4 (39)	Pt. Cloudy/Fair
Seoul	10 (50)	7 (45)	Pt. Cloudy/Pt. Cloudy
Tokyo	14 (57)	16 (61)	Fair/Fair
Xi’an	13 (55)	12 (54)	Fair/Pt. Cloudy
Shanghai	17 (63)	16 (61)	Pt. Cloudy/Pt. Cloudy

 

CENTRAL

After a pretty rainy week across most of the central region, things will dry out a bit for southern China and northern Indochina this weekend. Hong Kong and Taiwan will see a weak pulse of energy slide through, bringing a good chance for clouds and some scattered showers to those locations. Everyone else is looking at a nice weekend with just a few clouds and temperatures holding steady to warming slightly.

City	Sat. High C (F)	Sun . High C (F)	Conditions (Sat/Sun)
Kunming	14 (57)	14 (57)	Pt. Cloudy/Pt. Cloudy
Hong Kong	20 (68)	21 (70)	Cloudy/Showers
Taipei	24 (75)	23 (73)	Pt. Cloudy/Showers
Iwo To	14 (57)	16 (61)	Pt. Cloudy/Pt. Cloudy
Hanoi	23 (73)	25 (77)	Pt. Cloudy/Pt. Cloudy

 

SOUTH

The sizzling south continues to bake, especially across portions of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Temperatures over the weekend will once again hit significant levels, especially considering it’s only January. To the east, the Philippines will deal with residual trough energy from recent continental surges and the seasonal northeast monsoon, so there could be a few clouds and showers this weekend. Indonesia and Brunei will see a nice weekend, while Malaysia will continue to see the usual dose of afternoon thunderstorms.

City	Sat. High C (F)	Sun . High C (F)	Conditions (Sat/Sun)
Siem Reap	34 (93)	34 (93)	Fair/Fair
Ho Chi Minh	36 (97)	36 (97)	Fair/Fair
Manila	31 (88)	31 (88)	Fair/Pt. Cloudy
Davao City	33 (91)	32 (90)	Pt. Cloudy/Showers
Brunei	32 (90)	33 (91)	Pt. Cloudy/Pt. Cloudy
Singapore	32 (90)	31 (88)	Sctd. T-stms/T-stms

 

TROPICS

The tropics stay quiet for the most part, with limited activity along the I.T.C.Z. (Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone). One pulse of energy resulting from the remnants of TD90C will pass through the Marshall Islands this weekend, giving Majuro a pretty windy weekend, while another weak wave will scoot through central Micronesia. With such northerly latitudes, the Marianas and Wake are dealing with surges of energy from the northwest, as continental air masses continue to infiltrate these areas. Both locations will not only see the coolest temperatures in the region, but could see also see a few showers and clouds this weekend, while Wake may see some pretty windy conditions on Sunday.

City	Sat. High C (F)	Sun . High C (F)	Conditions (Sat/Sun)
Guam	27 (81)	28 (81)	Fair/Showers
Yap	29 (84)	30 (86)	Showers/Pt. Cloudy
Palau	31 (88)	31 (88)	Pt. Cloudy/Pt. Cloudy
Chuuk	29 (84)	29 (84)	Sct. T-stm/Pt. Cloudy
Pohnpei	30 (86)	30 (86)	Cloudy/Sct. T-strms
Majuro	29 (84)	29 (84)	Fair&Wind/Cloudy&Wind
Wake	27 (81)	27 (81)	Pt. Cloudy/Pt. Cld&Wind

Have a wonderful weekend!

Courtesy: CIMSS, Tropical Tidbits, Weather.com, Intellicast, MeteoEarth

New Year’s Day 2016 is here, and brings a few changes to the weather for the north, while the central region will dry out just a bit today. The south stays sizzling hot, and there are hints of things to come in the tropics.

NORTH

The first day of 2016 will find most locations in the north warming up just a bit compared to the past week’s readings. The exception will be Mongolia, where a new push of cold air from Siberia has entered the picture and will bring another deep freeze to parts of the region over the next few days. Aside from some snow in extreme northern China and Mongolia, the weather will be mostly fair across the region as we celebrate the beginning of the New Year!

City	High Temp C (F)	Low Temp C (F)	Conditions
Ulaanbaatar	-9 (16)	-24 (-11)	Snow Showers
Vladivostok	-1 (30)	-6 (21)	Fair
Beijing	6 (43)	-4 (25)	Fair
Seoul	7 (45)	2 (36)	Partly Cloudy
Tokyo	12 (54)	2 (36)	Fair
Xi’an	12 (54)	-2 (28)	Partly Cloudy
Shanghai	12 (54)	6 (43)	Fair

 

CENTRAL

The central region will also see a pretty significant improvement in the weather, with warmer temperatures and more sunshine today for most locales. A storm system is getting organized over central China today, so those areas could see a few thunderstorms today and the afternoon heating helps fuel the clash of air masses. Hanoi will also see considerable cloudiness associated with this growing storm. Everyone else should enjoy a relatively cloud and rain-free day as the New Year gets kicked off!

City	High Temp C (F)	Low Temp C (F)	Conditions
Kunming	12 (64)	5 (41)	Thunderstorms
Hong Kong	20 (68)	17 (63)	Fair
Taipei	22 (72)	16 (61)	Partly Cloudy
Iwo To	11 (52)	2 (36)	Fair
Hanoi	21 (70)	15 (59)	Mostly Cloudy

 

 SOUTH

The New Year brings a change in the date, but in the south, the weather situation is hardly new. More torrid heat will be in place across Indochina today as clear skies allow intense winter sunshine to really heat things up. A weak trough is draped over the Philippines, helping to create some beneficial light to moderate rain showers across the archipelago and cool things off just a bit there. Farther south, Malaysia will see the usual dose of scattered thunderstorms, while Indonesia and Brunei will see just a few clouds and warm temperatures to get 2016 started with a bang!

City	High Temp C (F)	Low Temp C (F)	Conditions
Siem Reap	32 (90)	20 (68)	Fair
Ho Chi Minh	35 (95)	22 (72)	Fair
Manila	29 (84)	23 (73)	Num. Showers
Davao City	31 (88)	23 (73)	Num. Showers
Brunei	32 (90)	25 (77)	Partly Cloudy
Singapore	30 (86)	26 (79)	Thunderstorms

 

TROPICS

The tropics will start the New Year off a bit damp today, as scattered areas of energy flail about in the I.T.C.Z. (Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone). Activity in the zone is quite scattered, but coagulates as you travel eastward into the Marshall Islands, courtesy of the developing tropical depression 90C. At this time, TD 09C is expected to move slowly westward and cross the I.D.L. (International Date Line) sometime on Sunday. After the system crosses it is expected to strengthen to tropical storm strength, and would be the first system of the New Year. We will keep you posted on developments with this system. Elsewhere across the tropics, most locations can look forward to clouds and a few showers, and maybe even a few thunderstorms, as the available moisture fires up in the afternoon sun. Majuro and Pohnpei are already feeling some of the effects of TD 09C, clouds, wind, and numerous showers. Wake will also see a cloudy and windy day as energy from the north moves into the area.

City	High Temp C (F)	Low Temp C (F)	Conditions
Guam	27 (81)	23 (73)	Scattered Showers
Yap	31 (88)	24 (75)	Partly Cloudy
Palau	30 (86)	25 (77)	Scattered Showers
Chuuk	29 (84)	26 (79)	Sctd. Thunderstorms
Pohnpei	31 (88)	26 (79)	Rain
Majuro	28 (82)	27 (81)	Cloudy & Windy
Wake	28 (82)	24 (75)	Cloudy & Windy

Have a safe and Happy New Year!!

Courtesy: CIMSS, HKO, NRL, JTWC, Tropical Tidbits, Intellicast, Weather.com, MeteoEarth