Still not dry ‘summer’ season, Pagasa says

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the heat being experienced by most areas in the country, Pagasa said it is still not dry season or what Filipinos call "summer.”

“Hindi pa po start ng onset ng dry season,” Pagasa weather specialist Ariel Rojas said in a televised interview with GMA News Balitanghali on Tuesday

Rojas explained that the state weather bureau has not yet terminated the amihan season or the cool northeast monsoon. He cited that there is amihan in the northern Luzon provinces.

According to the weather specialist, Pagasa follows a criteria to terminate the amihan season which include the weather systems outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility. The weather systems include the semi-permanent Siberian high-pressure area, low pressure area near Japan and the semi-permanent North Pacific high pressure.

Rojas said the semi-permanent North Pacific high pressure area is taking effect in the country over the weekend making the temperature hot. He added that there is only an average of 0 to one tropical cyclones every March.

"Kapag consistently na na-meet na po ang criteria na ito, ay magte-terminate na po 'yung PAGASA ng amihan season at 'yun na po 'yung onset ng ating dry season," Rojas said.

On Tuesday, Pagasa recorded the top three high temperature in various parts of the country.

The state weather bureau said the highest temperature of 2018 was recorded at 36.1 degree Celsius in Cotabato, 35.9 degree Celsius in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro and 35.7 degrees Celsius in Subic.

Although Filipinos call the dry season “summer,” Philippines and other tropical countries do not experience it since only northern parts of Asia, America, Australia and Europe experience summer.

Last year, Pagasa declared the onset of summer on April 5.