The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has forecast a weak or borderline La Niña phenomenon over the country starting this month up to May next year, and it warns that there should be readiness for the type of strong typhoons that a “weak version of this weather phenomenon could bring.”
Ana Liza Solis, chief of the climate monitoring and prediction section of the DOST-PAGASA climatology and agrometeorology division, stressed that they have historical data showing that there were previous years when the country experienced a “weak” La Niña but also saw several strong typhoons.
“We have to emphasize that historically, based on the data of PAGASA when there was weak La Niña, we had been hit with more super typhoons in the months of September, October, November, and December,” Solis recently said at a media forum.
She explained that the conditions brought by the weak La Niña also brings with it favorable conditions for the buildup of super typhoons in areas off the Pacific Ocean.
PAGASA has placed a 71 percent chance of La Niña forming in a three-month period starting this September up to November that will likely persist until the first quarter of 2025. The rainfall probability forecast leaned towards above normal rainfall during the forecast period.
Given these warnings, it would bode well for local government units to start preparing for such an eventuality. Flood prevention and maintenance efforts will need to be redoubled to help drainage systems deal with the above normal rainfall. Disaster reduction and response protocols, including evacuation to rescue, and even the redundancy and reliability of public utilities such as electricity, water, and internet, will need to be reviewed and made ready for whatever any kind of challenges that this year’s La Niña may bring.*
