The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration on Wednesday warned the public to brace for five to eight tropical cyclones until August this year.
The bureau made the warning despite the weak El Niño phenomenon that is expected to stay until the end of 2019.
“In terms of our forecast on the number of tropical cyclones from June to August, we are expecting around five to eight tropical cyclones,” Deputy Administrator Flaviana Hilario said.
The Philippines is visited by an average of 20 typhoons each year.
The El Niño phenomenon is forecast to persist until the end of this year, but “the uncertainty is quite high. We will give you a monthly update regarding this chance,” Hilario said.
The onset of the rainy season is forecast to start in the first half of June in the western portions of the country.
But the weather bureau said the effects of El Niño was now being felt in many provinces.
In April, 41 provinces experienced severe drought and 23 provinces a dry spell. In May, 40 provinces were under drought conditions while six provinces experienced a dry spell.
Pagasa said the conditions would likely become normal in most parts of the country in June except in Apayao, most parts of the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Tarlac and Zambales.
Normal rainfall is likely in almost all parts of Luzon and the Visayas except in southern Visayas and Mindanao.
