PAGASA expects El Niño to run until June

THE weather bureau, commonly known by its acronym PAGASA, said that El Niño is expected to last until June, suggesting a “slight delay” to the onset of the rains and further threatening the reliability of the water supply for Metro Manila.

“Our climate is now getting hotter and dryer due to the ongoing El Niño,” Flaviana D. Hilario, PAGASA deputy administrator for research and development, said in a news conference on Monday.

She added, “The air temperatures are now increasing as we approach the dry season and the impacts of El Niño are expected to become severe. PAGASA’s monitoring and forecast showed that El Niño will continue until June of 2019.”

PAGASA, or the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration, said that the impact of the approaching dry season will result to “a slight delay to the onset of rainy season.”

Ms. Hilario noted that 11 provinces in Luzon, Palawan and Mindanao are experiencing meteorological drought, when dry weather patterns dominate an area.

The provinces that are affected by drought are Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Maguindanao, and Sulu.

Ms. Hilario said that rainfall in Mindanao has been drastically reduced by 60% and weather conditions may improve due to the rain brought by Tropical Depression “Chedeng” which is expected to make landfall on Tuesday in Davao Oriental. —