‘Amihan’ is here: Pagasa says expect cooler days ahead

Weather update. INQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines — “Amihan” or the northeast monsoon, has arrived and the state weather bureau said the country could anticipate cooler days ahead.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) officially declared Thursday the onset of the northeast monsoon.

In a statement, Pagasa Administrator Vicente Malano noted that strong to gale-force northeasterly winds prevailing over Northern Luzon due to the strengthening of the high-pressure system in ice-cold Siberia and the gradual cooling of the surface air temperature over the northeastern part of Luzon indicates that amihan is here.

“These meteorological conditions indicate the onset of northeast monsoon (amihan) season in the country,” he said.

“With these developments, the northeast wind flow is expected to gradually become more dominant over Northern Luzon, bringing cold and dry air,” Malano added.

Because of amihan, surges of cold temperatures may also be anticipated in the coming months, Pagasa said. But the weather system combined with the existing La Niña could trigger floods, flash floods, and rain-induced landslides in vulnerable areas, it added.

On its website, Pagasa defined the northeast monsoon as cold winds from the northeast that bring rains over the eastern side of the country.

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