Rains to cushion El Niño effects in some M’nao areas: Pagasa

By SHIELA MAE BUTLIG
Correspondent

WHILE the “weak” El Nino phenomenon would affect the country until early 2016, Misamis Oriental and its neighboring provinces would no longer feel much of its effects due to nearly normal rainfall, forecast the Philippine Atmospheric and Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Rusy Abastillas, Pagasa weather specialist, said the effects of El Niño would also be cushioned in other provinces of Northern Mindanao and Caraga such as Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Surigao del Sur, and Surigao del Norte. The same would likely take place, too, in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) where rainfall volumes are forecast to be near normal this month and in the coming months.

But Abastillas said the El Niño phenomenon would intensify, from moderate to strong, in the coming months and could even last until early 2016. She said other provinces where below normal rainfall conditions are would feel the effects of El Niño.
Pagasa said it expected 11-16 tropical cyclones in the country in the next six months, and these would further cushion the effects of the El Niño. Pagasa said the El Nino would gradually weaken in the early months of 2016, and would likely be gone by May next year.  So far, the phenomenon has adversely affected 60 percent of the country which has been suffering a dry spell that worsened in May.