PAGASA: Tail end of La Niña to bring heavy rains in next months

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Friday said the tail end of the La Niña phenomenon will bring heavy rains similar to Tropical Storm Falcon in the next two months. PAGASA weather forecaster Jun Galang said the phenomenon actually ended around the month of May, but La Niña has a three-month lag time, where it continues to affect the weather three months after it has ended. Thus, the effects of La Niña will continue to be experienced until around August this year, possibly aggravating the coming storms in the rainy months, Galang said. Based on the weather bureau's monitoring of the last tropical storms' tracks, Galang said the next ten to 15 storms that the country will experience may bring heavy downpour like Falcon's, or even 2009's killer storm Ondoy, especially if these storms continue to enhance the southwest monsoon. The country was even "lucky" that Falcon moved northeast and "missed" a large part of the country, he said. "Posibleng maulit ang Falcon kung gumilid ang bagyo at mahila ang southwest monsoon," he said. "Hindi pa nga tumatama (ang Falcon) nagpapabaha na, what more kung tumama pa." Galang clarified that PAGASA cannot predict if a storm is "Ondoy-like" until it enters the Philippine area of responsibility, but he said that the country should always be prepared for another "great storm." "Sa nakita namin (sa Falcon), palapit siya, tapos biglang nag-stationary nang ilang oras. Ang tendency 'pag ganun, mag-iiba ng direksyon," he said. "Kapag sinundan ng mga susunod na bagyo 'yung ganoong movement, titigil tapos mag-iiba ng direksyon, pwedeng maging napaka-maulan na naman 'pag tumama sa atin," he said. However, Galang said this prediction should not cause panic among the public, and that it is also highly likely that the next few storms will move upwards and away from the country. "'Yung mga studies namin, sa layo ng pinanggagalingan ng mga bagyo pag nabubuo, hindi na umaabot sa atin. Lumilihis 'yung mga bagyo kasi sobrang layo ng pinanggalingan," he said. ITCZ Meanwhile, as of July 1, PAGASA said the intertropical convergence zone is still expected to bring scattered rain showers and thunderstorms over the Visayas and Mindanao. Widespread rain is highly probable in Albay and northern Palawan, which may trigger flash floods and landslides, PAGASA said. Residents in these areas have been advised to be on alert for possible flooding. Over the weekend, PAGASA said partly cloudy skies with isolated showers will be experienced in southern Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. PAGASA said it is also monitoring a low pressure area (LPA), which may enter the Philippine area of responsibility by Wednesday or Thursday next week. If it enters the country's area of responsibility, the LPA will be named "Goring." — RSJ, GMA News