MANILA, Philippines – The public should brace for the “brr” in the “ber” months that are expected to be colder and wet due to the developing La Niña phenomenon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said yesterday.
La Niña may bring higher than normal rainfall over some parts of the country beginning this month until early next year.
“We expect the La Niña to bring more rains over the country and at the same time colder weather,” Rene Paciente, chief of the PAGASA’s marine meteorological services section, told The STAR.
However, he said the temperature would begin to cool down late October when the wind system shifts from the southwest to the northeast.
“We will still experience warm temperatures this September. We expect the transition from southwest monsoon to northeast monsoon in the second half of October,” he said.
The La Niña is expected to enhance the northeast monsoon, which will bring higher than average rainfall over the eastern section of the country, the weather bureau said.
Analiza Solis, officer-in-charge of PAGASA’s climate monitoring and prediction section, said there is a 55 to 60 percent chance that La Niña will develop either late this month or in October.
Meanwhile, a low-pressure area off Basco, Batanes was enhancing the southwest monsoon, which brings rains over the northern portion of the country.
“Until Thursday, it will bring light to moderate rains over extreme Northern and Central Luzon,” he said.
As of 1 p.m. yesterday, the low-pressure area was located at 250 kilometers northeast of Basco.
Paciente said the weather system was expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility tomorrow.
Paciente said partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms will prevail over Metro Manila and the rest of the country.