MANILA – The country will soon experience dry season as the northeast monsoon or amihan season may likely be over by the end of the week, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.
In a statement on Tuesday, the state weather bureau said there is a gradual increase in daily temperatures in most parts of the country based on the observations of several Pagasa stations.
“Wind and pressure analyses also indicate the slowly shifting direction of prevailing winds from northerly to easterly, the weakening of the high-pressure area in mainland Asia, and the gradual strengthening of the North Pacific High,” Pagasa said.
“Considering that these changes in wind patterns and pressure systems are consistent with the changing of seasons, the Northeast Monsoon season will likely be over by the end of the week,” it added.
Pagasa also urged the public and the government to take precautionary measures to minimize heat stress, optimize use of water supply, and prevent any possible health risks brought by the climate condition.
It further said that isolated thunderstorms are likely to occur in some parts of the country during afternoon or evening even if the number of dry and warm days increases.
In its advisory, it stated that the on-going La Niña weakens but may still affect some parts of the country, which may significantly result in above normal rainfall conditions for the month of March.
PAGASA previously said that La Niña climate pattern would bring an above normal amount of rainfall from December 2020 to February 2021, adding that most climate models suggested that a moderate to strong La Niña will likely persist until May 2021.
La Niña is a weather phenomenon that causes very dry conditions in the eastern Pacific but very wet conditions in the west, including the areas around the Philippines./PN
