ILOILO City — A surge of the northeast monsoon briefly cooled Western Visayas, with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) recording 19.2 degrees Celsius as the lowest temperature in Iloilo so far this year, signaling a short-lived dip before the expected onset of the dry season.
The unusually cool reading, logged on March 14, is the lowest temperature recorded in the province from January to March 2026, according to PAGASA-Iloilo’s weather forecaster Leonor Silvestre in an interview.
Silvestre explained that the temperature drop was caused by a recent surge of the northeast monsoon, locally known as “amihan,” even as the country remains under neutral conditions of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
“May surge sang northeast monsoon sang ligad and then subong ang northeast monsoon ang papahina naman. So, ang apektado na lang kang aton northeast monsoon ay ang northern and central Luzon,” she added.
With the amihan now weakening, PAGASA said the likelihood of experiencing even cooler temperatures in Iloilo is diminishing.
Weather officials are also closely monitoring the transition toward the dry season, which is expected to begin either next week or by the last week of March.
In anticipation of shifting weather conditions, PAGASA-Iloilo advised the public — especially farmers — to regularly monitor updates and plan agricultural activities accordingly to avoid potential losses.
Residents are also urged to stay hydrated, seek shade during hotter periods, take vitamins and maintenance medicines, and bring umbrellas or hats when going outdoors.
The cooling episode comes as PAGASA recently confirmed the end of La Niña, noting that sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific have returned to neutral levels.
Climate models indicate that these neutral conditions may persist through the June to August 2026 season.
La Niña and El Niño are opposite phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, a recurring climate pattern driven by changes in wind, sea surface temperatures, and atmospheric pressure across the equatorial Pacific./PN
