Summer’s coming next week after the rains

Time to dust off those swimsuits and stock up on sunblock: Summer could officially start next week, the state weather bureau said on Friday.

But while “hot and humid” could be the default mode in the coming days, the northeast monsoon, locally known as hanging amihan, will have a last hurrah over the weekend, according to Nathaniel Servando, chief of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Servando said a low pressure area (LPA) was developing in the Pacific Ocean and might spoil the prospect of sunny days in the southern parts of the country, especially Mindanao, over the weekend.

Rain showers

“We expect that the LPA will bring thunderstorms and rain showers over Eastern Visayas, Caraga, Eastern Mindanao and Davao regions on March 3. But (it) will not affect Luzon and most parts of the Visayas,” the weather chief said.

By March 6, the LPA, which is not expected to develop into a storm, would have dissipated, Servando said.

Over the rest of the country, “it’s going to be a typically hot and humid summer with temperatures ranging from 35-37 degrees Celsius,” Servando said.

Partly cloudy

Summer would reach its peak in April and would probably last until the first half of May, he said, adding that no El Niño or La Niña phenomena—with their irregular weather patterns—were expected.

According to Pagasa, the whole country will be partly cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms on Sunday, particularly over Eastern Visayas and the regions of Caraga and Davao.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the east to northeast will prevail over the northern and eastern sections of the country, and coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough, the weather bureau said.

“Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate (and will be) coming from the northeast with slight to moderate seas,” Pagasa added.

Easterlies

He said this was practically the last surge of the northeast monsoon or the winds blowing from Siberia. The northeast monsoon usually begins in October and lasts until the first quarter of the following year.

“That’s when the easterly winds will become the dominant weather system in the Philippines,” marking the beginning of summer, he said. Easterlies are warm winds blowing from the Pacific Ocean.