MANILA, Philippines 鈥� A strong El Ni帽o is causing warm weather in the country, which may extend until February, state meteorologists said on Monday.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) explained that while the strong El Ni帽o may last until next month, the regular El Ni帽o phenomenon will persist until May.
Pagasa said El Ni帽o increases the likelihood of below-normal rainfall conditions, which could bring negative impacts (such as dry spells and droughts) in some areas of the country.
This is expected to transition to a neutral state of El Ni帽o Southern Oscillation (ENSO) from April to June 2024.
鈥淢ajority of global climate models suggest that El Ni帽o will likely persist until the March-April-May 2024 season with a transition to ENSO-neutral in the April-May-June 2024 season,鈥� the state weather bureau said.
An ENSO-neutral phenomenon pertains to weather conditions that are neither labeled as El Ni帽o nor La Ni帽a, Pagasa said in a previous statement.
Hence, Pagasa advised the public to take precautionary measures to mitigate the impacts of the El Ni帽o phenomenon.
In a post on social media, Pagasa said that Filipinos must stay updated on climate advisories, cooperate on local El Ni帽o measures, fix and report water leaks, and conserve water.
Earlier, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) warned of an impending dry spell brought by the effects of a strong El Ni帽o, which may affect up to 65 provinces in the country.
鈥淏y [the] end of May, there would be 77 percent of the provinces of the country will have potential for drought, that would be 65 provinces and seven percent potential for dry spells or around six provinces,鈥� DOST Chief Renato Solidum Jr. said.
In response, President Ferdinand 鈥淏ongbong鈥� Marcos Jr. revived the Task Force El Ni帽o given the impending dry spell, which is seen to impact the country鈥檚 agriculture sector.