7 Luzon provinces still suffering dry spell despite Lando rains

MANILA, Philippines — Seven provinces in Luzon are suffering from severe dry conditions although Typhoon Lando dumped intense rains across Luzon last week.

The seven provinces are among the total 14 provinces across the country that has been experiencing way below normal rainfall as of October 21, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Four provinces namely Quezon, Camarines Norte, Northern Samar and Samar experienced drought, or at least 60 per cent reduction in the usual rainfall for at least three consecutive months.

Antique and North Cotabato experienced dry spell, or at least three consecutive months of 21 to 60 per cent reduction in their usual rainfall.

Meanwhile Laguna, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Albay as well as Aklan and Guimaras experienced dry condition, which PAGASA describes as having at least two consecutive months of reduced rainfall.

PAGASA has warned that the country faces severe dry conditions from October to early next year as the current strong El Niño episode further worsens.

Its latest forecast showed 60 of the country’s 81 provinces (from 69 provinces in the September forecast) will likely experience reduced rainfall during these months.

Of these, seven provinces will likely suffer from drought (compared to 46 in the September forecast), 43 provinces including Metro Manila will suffer from dry spell while 10 other provinces will be under dry conditions.

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

Lando (international name Koppu) was the strongest typhoon that has so far hit the country this year, slamming into central Luzon last October 18 with maximum winds of 175 kilometers per hour and gusts up to 210 kph.

For two days, it pummelled parts of Central and Northern Luzon, but travelled slowly over the island, leaving at least 46 people dead, flooding homes and farmlands and causing landslides while replenishing dams that had fallen to critical levels in the past months.

Lando rapidly weakened into a tropical storm after slamming into the Cordillera mountains and finally blew out of the country’s borders as a low pressure area early Saturday October 24.  SFM