Amihan

For the mythical bird, see Amihan (mythology). For the fictional character, see Amihan (Encantadia).

In the Philippines, amihan refers to the season dominated by the trade winds, which are experienced in the Philippines as a cool northeast wind. It is characterized by moderate temperatures, little or no rainfall, and a prevailing wind from the east.

As a rule of thumb, the Philippines' amihan weather pattern begins sometime in September or October and ends sometime in May or June. There may, however, be wide variations from year to year.

Throughout the rest of the year, the Philippines experiences the west or southwest wind; south west monsoon, which in turn is referred to as the habagat. The habagat season is characterized by hot and humid weather, frequent heavy rainfall, and a prevailing wind from the west.

The main indicator of the switch between the amihan and habagat seasonal patterns is the switch in wind direction. In most years this transition is abrupt and occurs overnight. In some years there is a period of perhaps a week or two where the wind will switch between amihan and habagat patterns several times before settling into the pattern for the new season.

In culture

• Amihan (mythology) is a bird in the Philippine mythology. According to the Tagalog folklore, Amihan is the first creature to inhabit the universe, along with the gods called Bathala and Aman Sinaya. In the legend Amihan is described as a bird that saves the first human beings, Malakas and Maganda, from a bamboo plant.
• Amihan (Encantadia) is a major character from the Philippine fantasy television series Encantadia and Etheria produced by GMA Network. Among the four elemental Sang'gres, Amihan is the guardian of the blue Gem of Wind. She also became a Queen of Lireo having succeeded her mother Mine-a. Filipina actress Iza Calzado plays Amihan. Like the trade winds amihan are also felt during summer vacation. Iza Calzado is now part of ABS-CBN.
• Habagat (Mulawin) is a support character from Mulawin, another fantasy television series produced by GMA Network. He is a Mulawin who secretly longs to be the leader of their race then later joins the forces of Ravenas and became a villain. Filipino actor Romnick Sarmenta plays Habagat. This was actually the series where Encantadia was originated from.