It’ll be wetter, cooler in the coming months

Expect wetter, cooler weather in the following months as La Niña, characterized by more rainfall than usual, may occur this month or the next as the “amihan” (northeast monsoon) season begins.

“Based on the current monitoring conditions and model forecasts, there is a probability of about 65 to 70 percent that a weak La Niña will develop in either late October or November 2017, which may last through the first quarter of 2018,” Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) administrator Vicente Malano said in a statement over the weekend.

The La Niña phenomenon means cooler than average sea surface temperatures will prevail in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific.

Neutral conditions are still present in the tropical Pacific, but “above normal rainfall conditions are expected over most parts of the country in the coming several months,” Pagasa said.

The weather bureau warned of varying magnitudes of “associated impacts” of La Niña, including floods and landslides over vulnerable areas.

“All concerned agencies are advised to take precautionary measures to mitigate the potential adverse impacts of developing La Niña,” Malano said.

Meanwhile, the country is already experiencing the onset of the northeast monsoon, or cold winds coming from the northeast, usually characterized by cooler weather as compared to the earlier part of the year, after the “habagat” or southwest monsoon season ended on Oct. 11.

Pagasa predicts two to five tropical cyclones to develop or enter the Philippine area of responsibility from November to April 18.