The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Friday, March 15 said the northeast monsoon will continue to weaken over the weekend, with warm easterly winds expected to prevail early next week.

PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja said the northeast monsoon, also known as “amihan,” will continue to prevail over Northern Luzon on Saturday, March 16, but only over extreme Northern Luzon on Sunday, March 17.

He said the dominant weather system by Monday, March 18, will be the easterlies, or warm winds from the Pacific Ocean.

PAGASA said the amihan season is expected to end by the third week of March, or before March 21, which is earlier than last year due to El Niño conditions.

The “termination” of amihan will also signal the arrival of “dry and warm” season in the country. 

Over the next 24 hours, PAGASA said Batanes and Cagayan may experience cloudy skies and light rains due to the amihan.

Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Isabela, Quirino, and Nueva Vizcaya may also experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light amihan rains.

Meanwhile, Estareja said the shear line, a rain-inducing weather system formed by the convergence of northeast monsoon and easterlies, may bring cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms to Aurora, Quezon, and Camarines Norte.

He warned of flash floods and landslides caused by "moderate to at times heavy rains" from the shear line.

The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy weather with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms caused by the easterlies or localized thunderstorms.

Based on PAGASA’s data, the actual air temperature ranges for March 16–19 in some key areas are: 24–32°C in Metro Manila, 21–33°C in Tuguegarao City, 14–24°C in Baguio City, 22–30°C in Tagaytay City, 24-32°C in Legazpi City, 25–33°C in Puerto Princesa City, 24–33°C in Metro Davao, and 24–34°C in Zamboanga City.