Amihan brings cooler temperatures to Metro Manila

Have you noticed a slight chill in the air lately?

For about a week now, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has been issuing weather forecasts indicating the prevalence of moderate to strong northeasterly wind flow over Northern Luzon.

This means the northeast wind or amihan is here.

"We expect cooler temperatures for Metro Manila and in the Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Western Visayas including Panay, Palawan, Negros, Cebu, Mindoro and Boracay on the western side of the country," Pagasa weather branch chief Nathaniel Cruz told The STAR.

No, this doesn’t mean the Christmas cool weather has already arrived.

Rather, Cruz said, the amihan signals the start of the rainy season in the eastern part of the country such as Cagayan Valley, Quezon, Bicol Region, Samar, Leyte and Eastern Mindanao including Surigao, Compostela Valley and Davao.

According to Cruz, the onset of the amihan was preceded by the easterlies following the termination of the southwest wind flow or habagat that brought the southwest monsoon rains experienced until last month.

"Since there was no existing El Niño condition, the start of the northeast wind was normal," he said.

"Expect cooler temperatures as the northeast wind is characterized by dry air mass with a relatively low temperature as the winter season approaches in the Northern hemisphere," Pagasa meteorologist Nonoy About told The STAR.

The temperature will become colder when the Siberian winds start blowing in from China, About said, adding the lowest temperature will occur during the latter part of January and the month of February.

But while the northeast wind or amihan is generally welcomed for the brief "cold spell" it brings, the Pagasa meteorologist warns against its other side effect.

"During the amihan, the tropical cyclones that enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) are the strong and destructive ones," Cruz said.

"And most of the time, these weather disturbances hit land due to the prevailing northeasterly wind," weatherman About added.

The public should be aware of these and they should be ready for any eventuality or be prepared for any likely weather-related disaster especially during the last quarter of the year, the Pagasa meteorologist said.