MANILA, Philippines?The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is anticipating an early onset of "summer" in the country and a dry season that will be hotter than usual.

PAGASA Deputy Administrator for Operations and Services Nathaniel Cruz said summer, or more accurately the dry season for the Philippines, might start as early as the middle of February. He warned of the possibility of temperatures rising and staying at 36 degrees Celsius over several days, which would be dangerous.

He explained that breaks in the northeast monsoon have been causing the mercury to rise even in January, the supposed peak of the country?s cold season. Once a break in the northeast monsoon occurs, the warm ?easterlies? or easterly winds, come into the country.

The breaks in the northeast monsoon also indicate the possibility of an early termination of the cold season and an early start of the dry months.

?If the northeast monsoon is terminated, the easterlies will come in, signaling the start of the dry season, or summer for some of us,? Cruz told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The northeast monsoon is the cold air from the northern hemisphere coming into the country starting November and ending usually at the end of February or the beginning of March.

The ?easterlies? or easternly waves are the warm air from the Pacific Ocean, particularly the equatorial sections, that travel west to the country.

Another reason for the early arrival of summer is the El Niño phenomenon, or the unusual warming of sea surface temperatures that cause droughts, which could peak in February.

Besides the early onset of the dry months, Cruz also said that the traditional warm months would be warmer than usual with temperatures peaking in the vicinity of 38 degrees Celsius.

?We could have days when temperatures would peak at 38. But if you have 36 degrees sustained over a period of several days, that?s dangerous,? Cruz said. He added that people could suffer heat stroke and heat exhaustion due to the warm weather.

For January, PAGASA predicts ?near normal to slightly warmer surface air temperatures? in Luzon. Warmer than normal temperatures are also expected in most areas in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Cruz said current temperatures could range from a minimum of 21 to 22 degrees Celsius to a maximum of 31 to 32 degrees Celsius.