THE Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has declared the end of La Niña, a weather phenomena that increases the likelihood of having above normal rainfall conditions.
“(The) La Niña (cold phase) condition has ended,” PAGASA said in an advisory issued last March 10.
It said most climate models predict that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral (neither El Niño nor La Niña) “is favored from March through June… with an increased likelihood of a transition to El Niño (warm phase) thereafter.”
“Although La Niña has already ended, its lag effect may still influence the probability of above normal rainfall conditions in the coming months, potentially leading to adverse impacts (such as heavy rainfall, floods, flash floods, and rain-induced landslides) in some highly vulnerable areas,” the agency added.
El Niño, PAGASA said, increases the likelihood of below-normal rainfall conditions which it said could led to negative effects such as dry spells and droughts in some areas.
Meanwhile, PAGASA said a low pressure area (LPA) will bring cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms in Eastern Visayas, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao del Norte.
The LPA, the weather bureau said, was some 400 km east northeast of Davao City or 285 km east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur as of 3 p.m. yesterday.
The rest of Mindanao, Visayas, and Bicol region will have party cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to the LPA and localized thunderstorms.
On the other hand, Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with light rains due to the northeast monsoon.
