|
THE
weather office has warned residents of Camarines Norte,
most parts of Davao and Soccsksargen, Eastern Visayas
and Maguindanao that they may face floods with the
progress of the very wet La Niña phenomenon.
In its latest La Niña advisory,
Pagasa noted that rainfall in these regions was above
normal from November 2007 to January 2008, and for two
consecutive months (December 2007 to January 2008) in
most parts of Eastern Visayas and Maguindanao.
“Flooding may occur in these areas in
the coming months as the La Niña episode progresses,”
said Pagasa.
Pagasa noted that for the month of
January, rainfall was generally above average in most
parts of the country except in Region 1, where rainfall
was mostly below normal.
“Rainfall in the western side of the
country, although above normal, is not significant
enough to cause flooding. However, there were cases of
flooding due to intense rainfall in Southern Leyte, in
the municipalities of Intao, Libertad and Gitagum in
Misamis Oriental, and in Asuncion, Davao del Norte, as
reported by the National Disaster Coordinating Council.”
The advisory indicated that La Niña
conditions that prevailed across the tropical Pacific
Ocean have intensified, from moderate to strong, toward
the end of January.
“Recent equatorial Pacific sea surface
temperature trends and model forecasts indicate that La
Niña conditions will continue, at least, through the
Northern Hemisphere Spring of 2008 (March-May). However,
half of these forecasts show a possibility that the La
Niña episode would persist into the Northern Hemisphere
summer [June-August].”
Pagasa said there is also a “slim
chance” of a tropical cyclone entering the country this
month. The country may also be affected this month by
the northeast monsoon, the tail-end of a cold front,
easterly waves, intertropical convergence zones, and a
ridge of high-pressure area.
This month, Pagasa added, rainfall
across most of the country would likely be near to above
average, except for the northwestern tip of
Luzon where below average rainfall is expected. |
