“Perfect” timing as we’re dealing with a water crisis—the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) just announced Mar. 22, Friday, that the dry season has officially started.

(Read: Prepare for more doomsday scenarios unless we find long-term solutions to the water crisis)

I wanted to say summer, but Inquirer reports that weather forecasters don’t actually call it that. The only seasons we have in the country are wet and dry, technically.

But name aside, there are more important details from Pagasa’s announcement. First, the dry season started weeks earlier than it did last year (it was recorded to have begun on the second week of April in 2018). Second, there’s also a warning that we may experience a longer dry season because of the “prevailing weak El Niño,” according to Inquirer.

That said, remember to keep yourselves and your loved ones (pets included) hydrated.

 

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PAGASA hasn’t officially declared the start of summer yet, but we already feel the hotter days. This makes us more vulnerable to heat illnesses like heat stroke, which is potentially fatal, heat exhaustion, heat rash, and heat cramps.⁣ ⁣ These ailments are preventable, though. Swipe left to check out some tips to stay cool until the end of summer. Read more about saving yourself from heat stroke on our website. Art by @tricia.guevara #nolisoliph

A post shared by nolisoli.ph (@nolisoli.ph) on Mar 15, 2019 at 3:30am PDT

Header image courtesy of Unsplash

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Read more:

Water crisis: government, private concessionaires and consumers all bear responsibility

How to keep your pets cool in the summer

Avoid heat stroke: Here’s how to keep cool during the hotter days