The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration on Tuesday announced the onset of the dry season with the end of the northeast monsoon or “hanging amihan.”
This warm and dry season is expected to last until May, the state weather agency said.
“In the coming months, warmer temperatures are expected, and rainfall across the country will be influenced mostly by easterlies and localized thunderstorms,” it noted.
PAGASA cited several factors as indications of the end of the northeast monsoon, including the “retreat of the high-pressure area over Siberia” increasing air temperature over most parts of the Philippines as well as the “strengthening of the North Pacific High” leading to a gradual shift in wind patterns from northeasterly to easterly.
The agency urges the public to take precautionary measures to minimize heat stress and to optimize the daily use of water for personal and domestic consumption.
In a public briefing, PAGASA assistant weather services chief Chris Perez said the El Niño phenomenon was expected to begin by July.
Prior to El Niño, he said PAGASA projected near-normal to above-normal rainfall over different parts of the country.
During this transition period that coincided with the dry season, Perez said it was normal to experience warm and humid weather.
“But there are still chances of rains due to thunderstorms, most likely in the afternoon or evening,” he said.
PAGASA is not ruling out the possibility of at least one tropical cyclone in the country between March to May, Perez said.