PAGASA declares onset of dry or summer season

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MANILA – The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Friday officially declare the start of the dry or summer season with the termination of the northeast monsoon.

PAGASA acting administrator Vicente Malano said that with recent PAGASA observations showed gradual increase in daily temperature recorded in most parts of the country.

He said that the wind analysis indicated the shift of wind direction from northeasterly to easterly and considering anticipated changes in wind pattern and pressure system related with the changing season, current weather condition signified the imminent termination of the Northeast monsoon.

With this development, expected day-to-day weather include increasing number of dry and warm days in most areas of the Philippines, partly due to the dominance of the ridge of high pressure area (HPA) and the easterlies.

However, some isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms may also be expected due to convective activities caused by heat island effect and/or wind convergence.

Coastal waters on the other hand, may at times be moderate due to the prevalence of strong easterly wind blowing particularly over eastern Luzon and Visayas.

Meanwhile, the on-going strong El Niño is still affecting the entire Philippines, which may significantly result in reduced rainfall and warmer air temperatures, especially over the western section of Mindanao.

The general public is advised to take precautionary measures to minimize heat stress and take note of the need in optimizing the daily use of water for personal and domestic consumption, PAGASA said.