Finally, it’s summer

The public should brace for hotter days ahead as the dry season or summer officially started yesterday, the state weather bureau said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the northeast monsoon has ended, signifying the start of the dry season.

“The day-to-day weather will gradually become warmer and drier in the coming weeks partly due to the extended ridge of North Pacific high-pressure area and easterlies,” PAGASA administrator Vicente Malano said.

Some isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms in the afternoon or evening, particularly over the eastern sections due to “localized convection” or warmer ground temperatures that cause rain clouds to form, may still occur, according to Malano.

He said Mindanao would experience scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms due to the northward migration of the inter-tropical convergence zone or easterly waves.

Malano said moderate to occasionally rough coastal waters, particularly over the eastern section of Luzon and the Visayas, would prevail due to moderate to strong easterly wind.

PAGASA climatologists said there is nothing unusual with the April onset of the dry season.

Analiza Solis, officer-incharge of PAGASA’s climate monitoring and prediction division, said this year’s weather appears to be unusual because the El Niño phenomenon caused a prolonged dry season during the past two years.

Solis said the weather this year reverted to normal, which was last felt in 2014.

“Last year’s dry season was longer, because of the effects of a strong El Niño,” she said.

Last year, PAGASA officially announced the start of the dry season on March 18.

With the onset of summer, the Philippine National Police (PNP) issued safety tips for the public to enjoy a hassle-free vacation.