PAGASA issues La Niña Watch alert

MANILA – The weather bureau on Thursday said there is an increasing probability that La Niña would occur from June to July.

La Niña Watch was raised by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) as the probability for the phenomenon to occur in the next six months is 55 percent.

"Pre-developing La Niña historically, is characterized by below-normal rainfall, therefore, the possibility of a slight delay on the onset of rainy season is likely with the combined effects of the ongoing El Niño," the bureau said.

In a press conference, PAGASA Climate Monitoring and Prediction chief Ana Liza Solis said even if the bureau has issued the La Niña Watch alert, the public should still concentrate on the impacts of strong El Niño.

"Historically, below-normal rainfall is observed during pre-developing La Niña. We are not going to tackle yet the possible effects of La Niña since it is too far from now, and is still uncertain," she said.

PAGASA said while El Niño has shown signs of weakening, the phenomenon is expected to persist between March to May.

Latest report from PAGASA bared that 24 provinces in Luzon and one province in the Visayas experienced drought. At least 16 provinces across the country experienced dry spells while 10 others were under dry conditions.

Solis said El Niño's impact could be felt more between March and April when about 40 provinces could experience drought.

Areas experiencing drought are receiving below-normal rainfall for five consecutive months or way below-normal (40 percent reduction) in rainfall for three months. (PNA)