PAGASA declares start of 'summer' season

State weather bureau PAGASA on Friday declared the start of the "Philippine summer" following the termination of the Amihan season.

"Today, we officially declare the start of the Philippine summer based on analysis of latest forecast," said PAGASA chief Dr. Nathaniel Servando in a press briefing.

"We expect [that] the number of warm and dryer days will increase in the coming weeks and in the coming months," he added

Technically, the Philippines only has two seasons: rainy (from June to November) and dry (from December to May). Filipinos, however, loosely use the term "summer" to refer to the warm months of the dry season, usually from March to May.

In a statement, PAGASA cited the retreat of the high pressure area (HPA) over Siberia, resulting in the weakening of the associated northeasterly winds and the decreasing sea level pressure in the country.

The wind pattern, PAGASA said, has generally shifted from northeasterlies to easterlies over most parts of the Philippines due to the advancing HPA over the Northwestern Pacific.

“These signify the termination of the Northeast Monsoon (Amihan) and the start of the dry season and warmer conditions,” PAGASA said.

PAGASA said there was a gradual increase in daily temperature over many parts of the country and the strengthening of the North Pacific High based on its recent observations.

However, it noted that there will still be some rainfall in the country mostly due to easterlies and localized thunderstorms as well as the La Niña phenomenon.

“The number of dry and warm days across the country will continue to increase, though isolated thunderstorms are also likely to occur, especially in the afternoon or evening hours,” PAGASA said in a separate statement.

“Meanwhile, the ongoing La Niña may still affect some parts of the country, which may significantly result in above normal rainfall conditions for April,” it added.

Due to this, PAGASA advised the public and concerned government agencies to take precautionary measures to minimize heat stress, optimize the daily use of water for personal and domestic consumption, and prevent any accompanying health risks associated with the climate condition. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA Integrated News