‘Habagat’ season ends

The country’s rainy season has come to an end following the official termination of the southwest monsoon, or “habagat,” season, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Monday, Oct. 5. With the habagat season officially over, the country is now in the transition period toward the northeast monsoon, or “amihan,” season. PAGASA earlier forecast the onset of amihan in the second half of October. “A gradual shift in the prevailing weather pattern has been observed over the past several days, such as the strengthening high pressure system over East Asia, the southward-migrating Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), and the notable weakening of winds and a decrease in rainfall associated with the southwest monsoon,” PAGASA said. In the next few days, the ITCZ will prevail and bring rain showers and thunderstorms over Palawan, Visayas, and Mindanao.