Twenty-four provinces, including Metro Manila, will experience drought in January next year as El Niño bites, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warned on Thursday, July 7.
According to Ana Liza Solis, head of the PAGASA Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section, the areas in the countries that will experience drought by end of January next year are as follows:
· Metro Manila
· Abra
· Benguet
· Ifugao
· Apayao
· Mountain Province
· Ilocos Norte
· Ilocos Sur
· La Union
· Pangasinan
· Isabela
· Nueva Vizcaya
· Bataan
· Bulacan
· Nueva Ecija
· Batangas
· Laguna, Rizal
· Occidental Mindoro
· Oriental Mindoro
· Palawan, Pampanga
· Tarlac, Zambales
· Spratly Islands
On the other hand, places to experience dry spell are:
· Cagayan
· Cavite
· Antique
· Guimaras
· Iloilo
· Negros Occidental
· Negros Oriental
· Siquijor
· Zamboanga del Nort
· Zamboanga del Sur
· Zamboanga Sibugay
· Misamis Occidental
· Sultan Kudarat
· Basilan
· Maguindanao
· Sulu
According to the report, the country will see the major effects of El Niño in the tropical Pacific by the end of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024.
Several provinces in Luzon, including Tarlac and Isabela, have been experiencing dry conditions since June while Apayao, Cagayan, and Kalinga were suffering from prolonged dry spells.
Solis noted that a dry state exists when rainfall is 40% to 80% below average for two consecutive months.
A dry spell, on the other hand, happens when rainfall is below normal for three consecutive months or less than 40 percent way below normal for two consecutive months.
The country can still expect normal to above-normal rainfall from July up to November due to a number of rain-bearing weather systems.
About 20 tropical storms hit the Philippines yearly, and it is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the effects of climate change.
