PAGASA raises El Niño alert

MANILA, Philippines — The state weather bureau has raised its alert and warning system to El Niño alert level with the weather phenomenon expected to prevail by the next quarter.

At a press briefing, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section chief Ana Liza Solis said that El Niño has a 79 percent chance of emerging in the June-July-August season and may persist till 2027.

During an El Niño event, there is an increased possibility of drier-than-usual conditions, which can lead to negative impacts such as droughts and dry spells in some parts of the country.

While debunking claims of a projected “Super El Niño,” the expert stressed they are not ruling out the possibility for it to have gathered strength by the latter half of the year.