THE Southwest Monsoon, locally known as habagat, is now officially over, said the state weather bureau in an advisory on Thursday, October 12, 2023.
This means that the Philippines is now in a gradual transition to the Northeast Monsoon (Amihan) season, which may be apparent and declared in the coming weeks, said Nathaniel Servando, officer-in-charge of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
"Recent analyses showed that a significant weakening of the Southwest Monsoon has been observed over the past few days. Moreover, the strengthening of the high pressure system over East Asia has led to a gradual change in the weather patterns," he added in the advisory.
Habagat has been defined as warm moist winds from the southwest causing rains over the western portion of the Philippines from May to September.
As to the ongoing El Niño, Pagasa said that there is an increased likelihood of below normal rainfall conditions, which could bring negative impacts, such as dry spells and droughts, in some areas of the country.
These negative impacts, it added, will likely be manifested during the last quarter of 2023 up to the first quarter of 2024.
"This may adversely affect the different climate-sensitive sectors such as water resources, agriculture, energy, health, public safety, and other key sectors in the country," said Pagasa.
It assured the public that it will continue to monitor the country's weather and climatic conditions. (LMY)