PAGASA says La Niña’s making its presence felt in the Pacific
MANILA – The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Geophysical Serv ices Administration (PAGASA), an agency under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) today confirmed recent oceanic and atmospheric indicators signify La Niña has made its presence felt in the tropical Pacific.
In a press briefing Friday afternoon, since June 2020, the sea surface temperature in the central and equatorial Pacific started to cool and further strengthened in September this year reaching La Niña threshold.
In a press briefing, Ms. Ana Liza S. Solis, Chief of the Climate Impact Monitoring and Prediction Section of the Climatology and Agrometeorology Division of the DOST, she said based on the latest forecast, weak to moderate La Niña is likely to occur until the first quarter of 2021.
La Niña is usually associated with above normal rainfall conditions across most areas of the country during the last quarter of the year and early months of the following year.
Rainfall forecast from October 2020 to March 2021 suggested that most parts of the country will receive near to above normal rainfall conditions. In addition, five (5) to eight (8) tropical cyclones (TCS), most of which will hit the country’s landmass, are expected to enter/develop in the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). These tropical cyclones may further enhance the Northeast Monsoon and could trigger floods, flashfloods and rain0induced landslides over susceptible areas, in the eastern sections of the country which normally receive greater amount of rainfall during the year’s last quarter. Unfavorable impacts are like to take place in earlier identified vulnerable areas and sectors of the archipelago.
PAGASA will continue to closely monitor the ongoing La Niña as regular updates shall be issued whenever appropriate as all concerned government agencies and the public are hereby advised to observe precautionary measures to mitigate the potential impacts of the weather condition. (Melo M. Acuña)
Ms. Ana Solis, PAGASA's Climate Impact, Monitoring and Prediction Section chief. (Screen grab from PAGASA Press Briefing)
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