There will be more rains than usual as Christmas nears because of La Nina, weather bureau PAGASA said Thursday, meaning the coming months spent battling COVID-19 will also be wet. Seven to 10 typhoons could also threaten the country until early next year.
There's a 60% chance that La Nina could start by the end of September or October, weather forecaster Ariel Rojas said. La Nina is the opposite of El Nino, characterized by extra dry weather. If an area receives 500 millimeters of rain on a given month, it wil be higher under La Nina, he told Teleradyo.
La Nina will not immediately bring heavy rains at its onset, but it is likely to persist for a year, Rojas said. Higher than usual rainfall will coincide with the Amihan season, when winds blowing from the northeast bring cold weather and rains during the Christmas months.
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The typhoon season peaks in July to October in the Philippines and so far this year, nine entered the country's area of responsibility, "Igme" being the last. A low pressure area or brewing storm nearly 1,000 kilometers east of Daet, Camarines Norte, is unlikely to intensify into a typhoon, Rojas said.
On average, the Philippines endures 20 typhoons per year, the strongest of which ususally hit in November and December, including Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013.
