PAGASA Announced the end of Southwest Monsoon season

Looks like the wet season in the Philippines is over. This is after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA announced the termination of the Southwest monsoon or “habagat”.

What is the Southwest Monsoon?

The Southwest monsoon or known as “Habagat” in Filipino is a natural weather pattern that usually occurs from the month of May to September. This happens when  the warm moist winds from the southwest flows over the country. For Filipinos, the southwest monsoon or “habagat” season signals the start of the rainy or wet season. The warm moist air from the southwest causes rains of varying degree. Sometimes, the southwest monsoon can have destructive effects.

What does this mean?

The declaration of the end of the southwest monsoon by PAGASA happened as the department observed the significant weakening of the southwest monsoon over the last few days. This means that the weather will now undergo a shift in the direction of the winds where we will be experiencing Northeast winds or “hanging Amihan”. The “Amihan” signals the start of the dry season as high pressure area in the Asian continent starts to gain strength.

In Baguio City, as the Amihan gets stronger, it would mean that residents not only in Baguio City but also in the Cordillera region will expect cooler temperature ahead. This is because the Amihan brings cooler northeast winds.

La Niña still looming

PAGASA has also announced that the La Niña is still in effect, therefore, an above normal amount of rainfall is to be expected. Such above normal amount of rainfall can still trigger flashfloods and landslides therefore the public is still reminded to be ready and for concerned government offices to adapt precautionary measures to mitigate the effects of such events.