PAGASA: Brace for La Niña rains 'til first quarter of 2011

For at least the next six months, Filipinos will have to brace for more rains brought by the La Niña phenomenon, state weather forecasters said Tuesday. Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) forecaster Elvie Enriquez said the La Niña will be felt more through daily rains than cyclones. "Ang last quarter [ng 2010] and first quarter ng 2011, mararanasan ang La Niña months. So, inaasahan natin na magiging maulan sa mga parteng yan (Expect more rains during the last quarter of 2010 to the first quarter of 2011. These are the La Niña months so we should expect more rains)," Enriquez said in an interview on dzBB radio. She said PAGASA expects the La Niña months to bring much-needed rains to areas affected by the El Niño's dry spells.

In past months, some dams in Luzon – including the Angat Dam which supplies 97 percent of Metro Manila's water needs – had experienced low water levels. "La Niña will be felt not so much through cyclones but through daily rains. Some areas will need the rains," Enriquez said. Meanwhile, PAGASA said a wind convergence affecting Southern Luzon will bring mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms to the area Tuesday. The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms, it said in its 5 a.m. bulletin. — LBG, GMANews.TV