By Brian Campued
The southwest monsoon or “habagat” season has officially ended, the state weather bureau confirmed Monday.
Habagat’s warm, moist winds usually cause rains over the western portion of the country from May to September.
Based on recent analyses, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that there is a “significant weakening” of the habagat in the past few days.
On the other hand, the high-pressure system over East Asia strengthened—which affected the weather patterns in the country.
“The country is now transitioning to the northeast monsoon season (amihan), which may be apparent and declared in the coming weeks,” PAGASA stated.
Amihan is made up of the cold winds that blow from the northeast and may bring rains over the eastern side of the country.
The state weather agency previously said that the upcoming onset of amihan will also bring cooler days along with longer nights due to the autumnal equinox last month. —iro