People visit a Christmas tiangge in Mandaluyong City on December 20, 2022. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — The amihan or northeast monsoon season has begun, signaling the onset of colder weather associated with Christmas, PAGASA announced Tuesday.

• Colder days coming soon: Amihan season may start next week, says PAGASA

"Brrr, brrr! The looooong wait is over—it's finally here! The Amihan season has arrived!" the state weather bureau said in a Facebook post.

PAGASA said this was determined by "meteorological patterns" after noting that "the high pressure area over Siberia has strengthened, leading to a strong surge of northeasterly winds."

The northeast monsoon, locally known as "amihan", is expected to bring strong northeasterly winds, cooler temperatures, and dry air across the country, with periodic surges expected in the coming months.

"Episodes of wind and cold temperature surges, as well as increasing prevalence of rough sea conditions, especially over the seaboards of Luzon are also expected in the coming months," PAGASA said.

PAGASA will continue to monitor the country's weather and climatic conditions, it said.

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