The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in Bohol warned the public against possible floods and landslides due to rains brought by a “weak La Niña” in the country.
According to PAGASA Bohol officer-in-charge Leonard Samar, continuous rains hit parts of Bohol and other provinces in the Visayas during the past days after the development of the weak La Niña which is projected to last until March.
Based on PAGASA forecast, Samar said that “above normal rainfall” is to be expected in the following weeks or possibly the entire first quarter of 2018.
There are currently no weather distrurbances affecting the province and the rest of the Visayas despite persistent rains, he added.
PAGASA said that La Niña is characterized by unusually cooler than average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific.
It is a weather phenomenon that brings stronger winds from the east.
Earlier, PAGASA warned that there have been instances in the past wherein a similar “weak” and “short-lived” La Niña caused significant impact to the country.
PAGASA predicted that the La Niña would start affecting the country in December last year.
However, majority of the rains in Bohol during the previous month were brought by three weather disturbances that hit the country late in December and the first days of 2018, inundating large swaths of Visayas and Mindanao. (R. Tutas)