MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Tuesday raised the La Niña alert as the weather phenomenon that is expected to bring rain would be felt starting in August and persist until first quarter of 2025.
Citing climate models and weather experts’ judgements, Pagasa Administrator Nathaniel Servando said that there was a 70 percent chance that La Niña would be forming from August to October due to the further cooling of the sea surface temperatures (SSTs) across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific (CEEP).
With this development, the ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) Alert and Warning System was changed to La Niña Alert, the Pagasa chief said.
Three of the 16 storms forecast to enter the country until the end of the year are predicted to form or enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) in July, the state-run weather agency said.
“Tropical cyclones tend to bring more rains, that is why we would need to be ready,” he warned.
The country may experience a higher chance of increased convective activity and tropical cyclone occurrence which may bring above normal rainfall in the coming months, the state weather bureau said.
Potential adverse impacts may include floods and landslides over vulnerable areas, with varying magnitude, it added.
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