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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Seven provinces in drought

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At least seven provinces in the country will experience drought until December, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

The weather bureau said drought, defined as three consecutive months of 60-percent reduction in the normal amount of rainfall, is being experienced in Quezon province, Oriental Mindoro, Camarines Norte, Aklan, Antique, North Cotabato and Sarangani. 

Meanwhile, a dry spell is characterized by three consecutive months of below normal rainfall condition, or a 21 percent to 60- percent reduction in the average rainfall. 

Dry spell is now being felt in Metro Manila, the weather bureau added.

Other provinces experiencing dry spell are Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Aurora, Batangas, Laguna, Marinduque,

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Occidental Mindoro, Romblon, Palawan, Camarines Sur, Masbate and Sorsogon.

Abra, Apayao, Cagayan, Nueva Vizcaya, Cavite, Rizal, Catanduanes, Davao del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi wil have dry condition.

 “Dry condition is defined as two consecutive months of below normal rainfall condition, or a 20 percent to 60-percent reduction of the average rainfall,” Pagasa said.

 In a two-month outlook, the weather systems that would likely affect the country in November are the northeast monsoon, tail-end of cold front, easterly wave, intertropical convergence zone, low pressure areas, ridge of high pressure areas, and one or two tropical cyclones that may enter the Philippine area of responsibility with possible tracks over the Visayas and northern Mindanao.

“Pagasa will continue to closely monitor the ongoing strong El Niño condition and updates shall be issued as appropriate,” Pagasa acting administrator Vicente Malano said.

A strong El Niño is prevailing in the country because of the increasing sea surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean.

It is forecast to intensify before the year ends, which may even last until the second quarter of 2016.

The bureau’s Climate Monitoring chief Anthony Lucero said the prevailing episode could be among the four strongest episodes of El Niño since 1950.

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