The northeast monsoon or amihan season could be over by the end of the week, or in the last few days of March, which would signal the onset of the Philippines’ warm and dry season.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) noted in a press briefing on Tuesday, March 23, that they have been getting questions on whether “summer” – Filipinos’ common term for the warm and dry season – has already begun.

“It’s not really summer, dahil wala pong summer sa Pilipinas. Dalawa lang po ‘yung season natin: ito po ‘yung wet and dry (It’s not really summer, because we don’t have summer in the Philippines. We only have two seasons: wet and dry),” explained PAGASA Deputy Administrator for Research and Development Esperanza Cayanan.

The Philippines’ wet or rainy season is usually from June to November, while its dry season is from December to May. The dry season, said PAGASA, is divided into the cool dry season from December to February and the hot dry season from March to May.

“The warm and dry season is coming very soon,” Cayanan said.

Indications that the hot dry season is nearing include “a gradual increase in daily temperature over most parts of the country,” according to PAGASA.

The state weather bureau also observed that “prevailing winds” have shifted “from northeasterly to easterly.”

“In the coming days, the number of dry and warm days across the country will gradually increase, though isolated thunderstorms are also likely to occur, especially in the afternoon or evening hours,” Cayanan said, reading out PAGASA’s statement.

With hotter days ahead, PAGASA advised the public to “take precautionary measures to minimize heat stress” and “optimize the daily use of water.”

The state weather bureau also said the ongoing La Niña phenomenon is weakening, but it is still affecting parts of the Philippines.

La Niña, which causes above normal rainfall, began in October 2020. There is a higher probability that it could end in April-June 2021. – Rappler.com