El Niño seen next month

MANILA, Philippines - The country’s chief meteorologist yesterday called for better management of water resources as “below normal rainfall” is expected to prevail in most parts of the country next month due to a developing El Niño weather event.

Nathaniel Servando, administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said there is a “high probability” that the El Niño phenomenon will develop this year.

“Currently there is 60 to 70 percent probability,” Servando said, adding that PAGASA climatologists have noted initial signs of El Niño in the past three months.

“The projected rainfall for the whole of Luzon, central Visayas as well as northern and central Mindanao for the month of September is ‘below normal,’” he said.

Servando said two destructive tropical cyclones – “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” – in 2009 happened during an El Niño period.