PAGASA: La Niña onset may shift to October-December

The beginning of the La Niña phenomenon in the country may be further pushed back toward the end of the year, according to state weather bureau PAGASA.

In a Balitanghali Wednesday report, PAGASA said there is a 55% chance that La Niña may occur between October and December, based on data from different climate models.

PAGASA also said La Niña is expected to last until the first quarter of 2025.

State meteorologists earlier forecast that a weak La Niña may start in the middle of September and November, instead of August and October, due to uncertain ocean conditions.

PAGASA declared the start of the rainy season on May 29 and the end of the El Niño phenomenon on June 7.

La Niña is characterized by unusually cooler than average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific (CEEP), according to PAGASA.

It is usually associated with above-normal rainfall conditions, PAGASA said.

Potential adverse impacts of La Niña include floods and landslides in vulnerable areas, it added.

Under memorandum circulars, local government units were tasked with coordinating with local disaster risk reduction management councils, PAGASA, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in preparation for La Niña.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. also directed the Task Force El Niño to start preparations.

Teodoro, who chairs the task force, said the preparation aims to lessen the effects of La Niña in the country, especially on fishermen and farmers. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/KG/VBL, GMA Integrated News