PAGASA declares onset of rainy season

The rainy season is here.

With the recent rains brought by the southwest monsoon or “habagat,” the State weather bureau officially declared yesterday the onset of the wet or rainy season in the country.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration confirmed that the rainfall criteria for the official declaration of the start of the rainy season has been satisfied.

“The occurrence of scattered to at times widespread rainfall associated with the southwest monsoon during the past few days as observed by most PAGASA stations in the western section of the country confirms the onset of the rainy season over the areas under the Type 1 climate,” PAGASA Administrator Dr. Vicente Malano said in a statement.

These rains, according to Malano, will continue to affect the country, especially over the western sections of Luzon and Visayas.

However, the State weather bureau chief added that rainfall events may be followed by dry period – also known as a monsoon break – that could last for several days or weeks.

“Rainfall conditions for July are expected to be generally near to above normal over most parts of Luzon and the Visayas, while generally below normal in most areas of Mindanao and Southern Visayas,” Malano said.

Despite the beginning of the wet season, PAGASA bared that the weak El Niño condition, which persisted in the tropical Pacific since the last quarter of 2018, may likely continue during the June-July-August 2019 period.

It advised the public and all concerned agencies to take precautionary measures against the impact of the rainy season.

Many tropical cyclones enter the country during the rainy season. So far, three tropical cyclones have entered the Philippines – tropical depressions “Amang” in January, “Betty” in February, and “Chedeng” in March.

According to PAGASA, fewer than the average of 20 tropical cyclones are expected to enter the country this year due to the ongoing El Niño phenomenon.