Only 10 storms entered the country in 2023, or half of the yearly average of 19 to 20 storms, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
Weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said “this is something weird. This is the effect of El Niño.”
“In our area, there is lesser moisture. A low pressure area could not develop since the moisture here is going toward the other side, somewhere in (the United States of) America due to El Niño,” Aurelio added.
According to him, the easterlies or warm winds blowing from the Pacific is expected to bring hot weather in many parts of the country.
The northeast monsoon or “hanging amihan” cools down Northern Luzon and trigger cloudy skies with light rains in Batanes, Cagayan and Apayao.
Earlier, the Pagasa said Batangas, Cavite and Oriental Mindoro are forecast to experience drought by the end of December due to El Niño.
Dry spell will be experienced in Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Aurora, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Palawan, Misamis Occidental and even Sulu.
Dry condition is forecast to affect Abra, Ilocos Norte, Batanes, Bataan, Zambales, Metro Manila, Occidental Mindoroand Antique.
The El Niño episode may intensify further in the coming months and continue until the second quarter of 2024, Pagasa said.