DESPITE recent changes in the weather, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Sciences Administration (Pagasa) cannot declare that summer has ended.

For the rainy season to official start, the weather bureau said it needs to rain five days in a row, with the volume of water falling on three of those days not dropping below one millimeter.

However, Pagasa Visayas Chief Alberto Quiblat Jr. said they expect the monsoon to arrive either on the third week of June or at the end of the month.

He said they have rain gauges to measure the volume of rainwater every time it rains.

Meanwhile, Quiblat advised the public to turn off their mobile phones during a lightning and thunderstorm to avoid getting struck by lightning.

“If you are talking to someone over the mobile phone during lightning and thunderstorm, you are vulnerable to being hit because cellular phones attract lightning strikes,” Quiblat said.

Quiblat also urged the public and authorities to strengthen residential houses and buildings because typhoons have become stronger because of the climate change. (EOB)