MANILA, Philippines — The country is now experiencing a weak El Niño, the state weather bureau said Tuesday.
The weak El Niño is likely to manifest in the coming months, which is expected to last until the middle of the year, Anthony Lucero, officer-in-charge of the Climate Monitoring and Prediction told INQUIRER.net.
“The El Niño is associated with decrease in rainfall and higher temperature,” he said.
He said the El Niño could also prolong the dry season, also known as summer. The warm weather could start to be experienced by April.
As the northeast monsoon or “hanging amihan” responsible for cold weather weakens, the dry season is expected to start during the second week of March.
The El Niño could also last until the end of the year if it strengthens, Lucero said.
The Weather Channel defines El Niño as the warming of the equatorial waters in the Pacific Ocean, which occurs irregularly around every two to seven years.
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