The Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) season has officially ended, the state weather bureau announced on Tuesday, October 7.
“This marks the termination of the rainy season over the western sections of Luzon and Visayas,” said Administrator Nathaniel Servando of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
The country is now transitioning to the Northeast Monsoon (Amihan) season, which will be observed and declared in the coming weeks, he said in a press statement.
The Amihan is a seasonal wind system expected to bring cold and dry air to most of the country due to the increased northeasterly wind flow.
Servando explained that the Habagat has been weakening over the past few weeks.
This gradual change in the country’s weather pattern is due to the strengthening of the high-pressure system over East Asia and the southward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), he said.
With these meteorological developments, the Habagat season has officially concluded, Servando added.*