Weather blowing hot and cold, says Pagasa

It’s November, so why does it feel like May?

November weather is supposed to be dry and cool, but this month it has been hot and rainy, not unlike the last weeks of May when summer ends and the wet season begins.

Weather officials are blaming the quirky climate on the La Niña phenomenon that is forming  in the Pacific.

“The western side [of the country] should be dry from November to January. But we are seeing the easterlies because of the developing La Niña,” explained Nathaniel Servando, administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

“We are having cool mornings and sudden rains that do not last for long. That is like late May, at the beginning of the rainy season,” Servando said.

In October, Pagasa said the country should brace for wetter days ahead due to the reemergence of La Niña in the Pacific.

La Niña is characterized by the cooling of the Pacific Ocean’s surface temperature. In the Philippines, the weather event results in higher than average rainfall.

Pagasa, however, forecast this to be a “weak” La Niña episode.

In October, the northeast monsoon, which brings dry and cold air from Siberia, becomes the dominant weather system in the country.

But this year, the northeast monsoon or amihan, is being “defeated” by the easterly winds that are being enhanced by the La Niña phenomenon.

That is the reason the country is experiencing warm temperatures during the day and seeing plenty of rain during a season that should be dry and cool, said Science Undersecretary Graciano Yumul Jr.

“With La Niña, the easterlies become dominant. With that comes warm weather. The dry and cold air of the amihan is being overpowered,” Yumul said.

At present, there is a shallow low pressure area  over Nueva Ecija. The LPA has embedded itself in the convergence winds, bringing scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms to the country.

Pagasa also warned Sunday that widespread rains were expected over northern and Central Luzon and Quezon province which could trigger flash floods and landslides.