The northeast monsoon, locally known as "amihan," may be in its final hurrah this week, before the warm and dry season officially begins, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Monday, March 18.

Weather specialist Benison Estareja said the easterlies, or warm winds from the Pacific Ocean, will be the dominant weather system in the country.

“Patuloy ang epekto ng easterlies o iyong hanging galing sa Pacific Ocean sa malaking bahagi ng ating bansa, habang inaasahan simula bukas ng gabi at iihip muli ang northeast monsoon or amihan sa may extreme Northern Luzon and pagsapit ng Wednesday and Thursday, posibleng umabot sa may southern Luzon itong amihan (The effects of the easterlies or the winds from the Pacific Ocean continue in most of the archipelago, while the surge of the northeast monsoon or “amihan” may be felt on Tuesday evening in extreme Northern Luzon, and on Wednesday and Thursday, “amihan” may possible affect Southern Luzon),” he said.

Estareja added that it could be the final surge of the northeast monsoon before the warm and dry season begins.

Based on PAGASA’s data, the actual air temperature ranges for March 19–21 in some key areas are: 23–33°C in Metro Manila, 24-32° in Legazpi City, 15–25°C in Baguio City, 25–32°C in Metro Cebu, 25–32°C in Iloilo City, 24–32°C in Tacloban City, 24–34°C in Metro Davao, 24–34°C in Zamboanga City, and 24–32°C in Cagayan de Oro City.

In the next 24 hours, PAGASA said Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers and thunderstorms due to the easterlies and localized thunderstorms.

However, PAGASA warned of flash floods or landslides that may occur during severe thunderstorms.