PAGASA: 'Strong' El Niño to last until February 2024

A “strong” El Niño phenomenon is currently in effect and will continue to be experienced until February this year, state weather bureau PAGASA said Monday. 

In an advisory, PAGASA said the El Niño may take place until May and transition to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-neutral until June. 

The US' National Weather Service defines ENSO as a "recurring climate pattern involving changes in the temperature of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean."

“Majority of global climate models suggest that El Niño will likely persist until the March-April-May 2024 season with a transition to ENSO-neutral in the April-May-June 2024 season,” PAGASA said.

With this, the bureau urged all the government agencies and the general public to take precautionary measures to mitigate the adverse effects of the climate phenomenon.

In July 2023, PAGASA declared the start of the El Niño phenomenon in the Tropical Pacific, with its effects expected in the Philippines. 

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong" Marcos Jr. earlier said that the Task Force El Niño would be restructured as there is a need for a more extensive measure to mitigate the effects of El Niño. —Giselle Ombay/KBK, GMA Integrated News