LPA won’t intensify into typhoon, says Pagasa

The low pressure area (LPA) estimated at about 150 kilometers northeast of Daet, Camarines Norte, on Sunday will not develop into a cyclone in the next three days but neither will it dissipate just yet.

“It will remain a low pressure area in the vicinity (east of Luzon) for the next two to three days,” said meteorologist Gener Quitlong of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Quitlong said the low pressure area brought light to moderate rain and isolated thunderstorms over Luzon since it was monitored by Pagasa on Friday.

After being hit by two powerful typhoons in August, the country is forecast to see two to four more cyclones in September, before dry conditions due to El Niño set in October.

Quitlong said the intensity of Typhoons “Hanna” (international name: Soudelor) and “Ineng” (Goni) was an effect of the prevailing El Niño weather phenomenon, which international weather agencies said was the strongest on record.

Hanna battered extreme north Luzon in the first week of August, while Ineng caused deadly landslides and flash floods over several northern Luzon provinces the following week, leaving at least 27 people dead, 13 missing and 24 injured.

The weather bureau had warned that the country would face severe drought conditions from October to January as El Niño peaks.

Pagasa said the dry conditions would continue until May next year.

El Niño is an abnormal warming of sea surface temperatures across the equatorial Pacific Ocean that results in extreme weather around the world.

Since the end of July, 15 provinces have been suffering from drought or dry spells caused by El Niño while 18 other provinces have experienced dry conditions in August due to reduced rainfall, according to Pagasa.

Water regulatory authorities have called on the public to conserve water during the rainy season to save the supply in the reservoirs for the coming dry months.