MANILA, Philippines—Enjoy the cool weather while it lasts.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Thursday said that the cold weather might end earlier than usual.

Actually, the country is already experiencing warmer than usual weather even in January, the supposed peak of the country’s cold season, according to Nathaniel Cruz, Pagasa deputy administrator for operations and services.

Because of this, the cold season may end sooner than expected. “Let’s enjoy the cold season while it lasts,” he told the Inquirer.

Cruz said Pagasa had been noticing “breaks” in the northeast monsoon, the cold air from Siberia that blows into the country from November to February.

“The breaks in the northeast monsoon allows the warm easterly winds to come in,” he said.

The “easterlies” are the winds from the Pacific Ocean near the equator that warms as it travels to the country.

“The easterlies are just there always poised to come into the country at every opportunity. When there is a break in the northeast monsoon, that is the chance of the easterlies to come in,” Cruz said.

Not as cool as last year

As a result, “the cool weather we are having now is not as cool as last year.”

Pagasa is also looking at the early end of the cold weather season because of El Niño conditions.

Instead of the usual end of the cold season at around the second week of February, the cold weather may cease earlier than that, according to Cruz.

For January, the agency predicts “near normal-to-slightly warmer surface air temperatures” in Luzon. Warmer-than- normal temperatures are also expected in most areas in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Cruz said current temperatures could range from a minimum of 21 to 22 degrees Celsius to a maximum of 31 to 32 degrees Celsius.

Come March and April, Cruz said Pagasa was expecting maximum temperatures to soar to a searing 35 degrees Celsius.