MANILA, Philippines?The coming tropical cyclone might not bring enough rains to relieve the country from the effects of the drought and searing summer heat, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Tuesday.

Robert Sawi of PAGASA?s weather forecasting center said the weather system would be called "Agaton" upon its entry into the Philippine area of responsibility.

The cyclone, he said, could enter between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Wednesday.

?We expect that it won?t hit land. Upon entry into the PAR, it could curve up towards Japan, or dissipate,? he said.

He explained that a westerly trough, an extension of a low-pressure area somewhere in the Yellow Sea, would pull ?Agaton? to a northern course or lead to the dissipation of the system. In turn, the westerly trough is being pushed westward by a high-pressure area in the China mainland area.

Sawi also said ?Agaton? could push through a ridge of a high-pressure area extending over Luzon.

?This would create a sort of canal for Agaton to pass through. So we cannot expect rain. We have a storm coming but conditions will still be dry,? he noted.

Worse, he said the scattered rain showers currently affecting Mindanao and the eastern sections of the Visayas region would also dissipate if Agaton tracked north.

?We will still have warm and humid weather,? Sawi said.

?Agaton? is the first storm to enter the country?s area of responsibility for this year. The Philippines is visited by an average of around 20 tropical cyclones a year.

The country has been experiencing a dry spell due to the El Niño phenomenon with water levels in dams plunging and temperatures rising in the 34 to 35-degree Celsius range. Crop losses have been estimated at around P8 billion.

The weather bureau earlier said the dry spell and the heat could last until June with temperatures rising to the 36 to 37-degree Celsius range from April to May, the peak of the dry season.

The El Niño phenomenon is the unusual warming of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific that results in droughts and heat waves.