La Niña rains to grace PHL Christmas, New Year

It’s going to be a wet Holiday season in the Philippines, with the La Niña phenomenon expected to occur by December. In a report on GMA News TV’s "Balitanghali" on Tuesday, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services (PAGASA) senior weather specialist Anthony Lucero said Philippine cities in the eastern seaboard should expect stronger rain from December 2011 to March 2012. The eastern seaboard of the country refers to all areas that face the Pacific Ocean. Five more storms are also expected to hit the country by the New Year, according to the report. The La Niña phenomenon happens when sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean drop, impacting global weather patterns and causing heavier than usual rains in the Philippines.

Return of La Niña Lucero added that the coming La Niña phenomenon in December is highly unusual, as the ocean temperatures already stabilized last June. Typically, Lucero said, La Niña phenomena don’t come and go within a year. "Kung naging neutral na tayo noong June, ine-expect natin na magiging neutral yan hanggang sa mga unang buwan ng susunod na taon," Lucero said. According to the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Niña and El Niño only occur every three to five years and last from one year to 18 months. The Philippines, which was recently battered by Typhoons Pedring (Nesat) and Quiel (Nalgae), will soon have to prepare for the heavy rains and the subsequent flooding that will be caused by the La Niña system. Combined, Pedring and Quiel claimed 102 lives and caused P15 billion in property damage as of Monday. The Philippines isn’t alone in having to handle problems caused by extreme weather. In neighboring Thailand, the death toll from flooding since mid-July rose to 158 as of late September while over two million people were affected by the sever floods and heavy rain, according to Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. The year prior was characterized by a strong La Niña and El Niño, causing extreme weather all over the world. Government preparation Despite the grim forecast for the next months, Lucero noted that heavy rains from La Niña will result in suitable conditions for palay farmers from October this year until early 2012. Vegetable farmers in the north, however, need to prepare for the colder weather as this may result in frost. In late 2010 and early 2011, the frost caused by single-digit Centigrade weather in Baguio City damaged the local vegetable industry. Lucero urged the Agriculture, Defense and Social Welfare Departments to coordinate with each other in preparing for the heavy rains. Around the same time in 2010, Aquino had directed government agencies and local government units to prepare for La Niña. The preparations included improving the government’s flood control plan and weather warning systems, among others.