The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) announced on Tuesday that weak El Niño has begun in the Tropical Pacific and it may strengthen in the next months.
In a press release, PAGASA said its climate monitoring and analyses have shown that the weak El Niño further developed due to the "unusual warming of sea surface temperatures along the equatorial Pacific that was established in March 2023".
"With this development, the El Niño Alert issued last May 2023 is now upgraded to El Niño Advisory," it said.
The state weather bureau said that the aggregate negative impacts of the El Niño phenomenon such as dry spells will be felt in most areas in the Philippines by the last quarter of 2023 and the first half of 2024.
The sectors of water resources, agriculture, energy, health, and the public safety are likely to be directly affected by these negative effects.
PAGASA advised the public and concerned government agencies to take precautionary measures to mitigate the potential adverse impacts of El Niño phenomenon.
According to the state weather bureau, the dry spells and droughts were caused by the increase in below-normal rainfall conditions.
Last May, PAGASA raised an El Niño alert in the country, citing that there is an 80 percent probability that El Niño will be experienced from June to August, and will persist until the first quarter of 2024.
