Philippines remained humid months after El Niño ended – study

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines continued to experience hot and humid weather for three months even after the El Niño phenomenon ended in May 2024, according to a study conducted by the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI).

In March 2023, state meteorologists warned that El Niño would affect the country until May 2024.

The study, titled “Evolution of Marine Heatwave in the Philippines During and After the 2023/24 El Niño,” investigated marine heatwaves using data from the global operational sea surface temperature and sea ice analysis system.

The study intended to examine the spatiotemporal evolution of sea surface temperatures from March 2023 to August 2024.

“The 2023–2024 El Niño caused record-high sea surface temperatures, with daily SST peaking at 30.45 degrees Celsius in June 2024. These temperatures surpassed previous similar events, including the 2015–2016 El Niño,” the UP MSI said.

The study showed that elevated sea surface temperatures persisted for three months even after El Niño officially ended in May 2024, especially from June to August 2024.

The UP MSI said the study identified two groups of marine heatwaves.

“The first group of marine heatwaves occurred from November 2023 to January 2024 in northwest Philippines. Although cooler waters are normally expected from cold winds brought by the northeast monsoon, these were not enough to overcome the heat of El Niño,” the UP MSI said.

The second, more intense group of marine heatwaves occurred from April to August 2024 in both the northwest and northeast parts of the Philippines.

“As El Niño was ending, warm winds brought by the southwest monsoon intensified the heat. This led to prolonged marine heatwaves in the Philippines that persisted even after the El Niño event was over,” the study said.