A typhoon spotted off the country's Pacific coast is unlikely to enter the Philippine area of responsibility, the state weather bureau said Saturday.

Typhoon Wutip was 2,040 kilometers east of Mindanao, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour and 185 kph gusts, PAGASA weather specialist Meno Mendoza said past 6 a.m.

"Sa ngayon, mababa pa rin po ang tsansa nito na posibleng pumasok sa Philippine area of responsibility, subalit manatili pong nakaantabay sa mga posible pa ring pagbabago sa ating forecast," he told radio DZMM.

(For now, the possibility that it would enter PAR is low, but continue monitoring possible changes in our forecast.)

The amihan or northeast monsoon on Saturday will bring partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains over the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions, and Aurora and Quezon provinces, PAGASA said in an advisory.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country will experience partly cloudy skies, the weather bureau added.

The amihan will cool the country until the end of February, said Mendoza. Its effect is unlikely to continue until March because of the weak El Niño, which is expected to usher in the dry season earlier than usual, he added.

El Niño, a weather pattern associated with reduced rainfall, may also cause fewer but stronger storms, Mendoza said.

DZMM, 23 February 2019