‘Habagat’ season over; cooler weather approaching

MANILA, Philippines — The rainy southwest monsoon or “habagat” season this year has officially ended, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) announced Thursday.

Pagasa added that the country is now transitioning to the northeast monsoon or “amihan” season, characterized by cool and dry air coming from the northeast and resulting in cooler, lower temperatures. “Recent analyses showed a significant weakening of the southwest monsoon over the past few days. Moreover, strengthening of the high-pressure system over East Asia has been observed and gradually changed the weather patterns in the country,” the state weather bureau explained. “The country is now transitioning to the northeast monsoon season, which may be apparent and declared in the coming weeks,” said Pagasa.