Manila, March 26 -- The weather bureau announced on Wednesday the official end of the northeast monsoon or amihan and the start of the dry season.

"Warmer days ahead, but occasional thunderstorms may still occur," the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in an advisory.

The public is urged to take precautionary measures to minimize heat stress and optimize the daily use of water for personal and domestic consumption.

In Tuesday's episode of Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon, PAGASA's Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section chief Ana Liza Solis said a heat index reaching 52 C is possible.

She said PAGASA has so far logged heat indices or what the temperature feels like to the human body whe...