La Niña season ends

MANILA, Philippines —  La Niña season has ended, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said yesterday.

PAGASA said the Oceanic Niño Index in the tropical Pacific indicates a return to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-neutral levels.

Based on the model forecasts, the ENSO-neutral conditions are likely to persist in the January to March through June to August season.

“Despite the end of La Niña, other weather and climate systems may still influence rainfall distribution in the country,” PAGASA said.

“Rain-bearing weather systems may bring occasional heavy rainfall that could lead to flash floods and rain-induced landslides in vulnerable areas,” it added.

PAGASA said it will continue to monitor the weather and climate conditions in the country and provide updates whenever necessary.

Meanwhile, the tropical depression outside the Philippine area of responsibility will not likely affect the country as it moves upward, PAGASA said yesterday.

“The LPA (low-pressure area) will have lesser influence in the country’s weather conditions as it moves north northeastward slowly,” PAGASA weather specialist John Manalo said in a forecast.

The tropical depression is located 1,325 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas and has a wind speed of 55 kilometers per hour and gusts of 70 kph.

The eastern section of the Visayas and Mindanao will have cloudy skies and high chances of rains caused by the trough of a LPA.

The northeast monsoon will cause cloudy skies and light rains in the eastern part of Luzon like Cagayan Valley, Aurora, Quezon and the Bicol Region.

Metro Manila and the rest of the western portion of the country have low chances of rain.