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MANILA, Philippines — Following the presence of two meteorological systems that brought rain to several areas of Luzon and Visayas in the past few days, the state weather service formally declared on Wednesday the start of the rainy season in the country.
“The presence of frontal system and the occurrence of severe thunderstorms have brought widespread rains during the last five days in areas under Type I climate and other parts of the country, Moreover, southwesterly wind flow was also observed during the past few days,” the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) explained in an advisory.
“This satisfies the criteria of the start of the rainy season over the western sections of Luzon and Visayas,” it added.
The state weather bureau then warned that rain associated with the southwest monsoon would start affecting Metro Manila and the western sections of the country.
“However, breaks in rainfall events (also known as monsoon breaks), which can last for several days or weeks may still occur,” it noted.
The ongoing La Niña, Pagasa pointed out, is still expected to affect parts of the country, increasing the likelihood of above-normal rainfall conditions in the coming months.
La Niña is a weather phenomenon “characterized by unusually cool ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific” which may lead to more rain in some areas of the country.
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Pagasa announces onset of rainy season in PH