Although, it already signals the nearing declaration of the start of the wet season.
On Saturday, May 30, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) officially declared the onset of the southwest monsoon season, locally known as Habagat, in 2026.
The country’s weather bureau told that “recent analyses over the past days have shown the presence of southwesterly winds over the western section of the country, and may continue due to the recent development of a Tropical Cyclone over the Philippine Sea.”
Specifically being pertained to is Tropical Cyclone Domeng (International name: Jangmi), which has intensified into a typhoon at 2:00 pm on Saturday.
“With the intrusion of westerly winds and the progression of the general meteorological pattern across the country, these developments suggest the start of the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat), which is one of the precursors of the onset of the rainy season,” the bureau further noted.
As the Habagat becomes a more dominant weather system, PAGASA noted that there will be occasional to frequent rains and thunderstorms expected, particularly over the western sections of the country.
Thus, these events may lead to the possible onset of the rainy season in the coming days.
However, it noted that there may be “rain breaks” that last a few days or weeks, which is also commonly known as “monsoon breaks,” which pave the way for dry and hot weather amid the Habagat season.
PAGASA said that as it continues to monitor the weather and climate situation in the country, the public and all concerned agencies are advised to take precautionary measures against the adverse impacts of Habagat and other climate and weather events.
Meanwhile, prior to this, the state weather bureau also warned that there is a possible onset of a “super El Niño” event between June and August and might persist until the early part of 2027.
PAGASA said, “During an El Niño event, there is an increased possibility of drier-than-usual conditions, which can lead to negative impacts such as droughts and dry spells in some parts of the country.“
“However, above-normal rainfall conditions may also be experienced over the western section of the country during the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) season,” the agency also pointed out
