MANILA, August 17 ------ Up to 14 tropical cyclones may form inside or enter the Philippine area of responsibility from August to December, according to state weather bureau PAGASA. PAGASA weather specialist Joey Figuracion said the La Niña phenomenon could bring more storms towards the end of the year. "Pagdating ng July, August, September, kaunti iyong bilang ng bagyo. Pero ‘pag October, November, December, mas marami naman," he said in a forum in Quezon City. "Sa bagyo, kung may La Niña, maaaring mas marami. But in terms of ulan, depende rin po sa season... Dati nababanggit natin, pagka El Niño, walang masyadong ulan. Pero ibang story ‘pag Habagat (southwest monsoon) kasi ina-amplify niya iyong Habagat during El Niño," he added.
Figuracion said the southwest monsoon or habagat would prevail in the coming weeks, but rains would not be as much as what was experienced during the onslaught of super typhoon Carina. "In general, for the next two weeks kung bagyo ang pag-uusapan or high-impact weather events ay hindi natin nakikita pa ngayon. Wala tayong nakikita sa mga forecasting models natin na magkakaroon ng kasunod si Carina. Mayroon actually sa taas ng ating bansa pero papunta siya ng Japan so hindi siya gaano ka-concern," he said. "Although inaasahan natin in the coming two weeks ay patuloy na magkakaroon tayo ng habagat so generally, maulan ang ating August. Kasi nasa rainy season tayo ngayon, at concurrent din iyan sa Habagat. At magpapatuloy ang habagat generally until September or mid of October," he added.
Figuracion also reminded the public to be mindful of thunderstorms and localized thunderstorms, which could bring heavy rains, especially in low-lying areas. Meanwhile, he admitted that “timing” was a challenge to weather forecasting. "Habagat ang ating pinaka-culprit ng malalakas na pag-ulan noong nakaraang July. Iyong event na iyon, isa siya sa tinatawag nating extreme event... Medyo nagkaroon naman ng advisory in terms of gaano kalakas. Ang pinaka-challenge din talaga sa pag-forecast ay iyong timing, kung anong specific na oras. Kasi minsan binibigay natin 24 hours," he said. "Kaya iyong nowcasting is very essential in terms of anong lugar talaga iyong may malalakas na pag-ulan," he added.
Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said they were "always ready" to provide food and non-food items to those who could be affected by floods and other disasters. Dumlao shared they were also strengthening supply chain management among concerned government agencies and the private sector, along with other programs that would pave the way for speedy delivery of assistance to disaster-stricken areas. "We've entered into framework agreements, so any time po na kakailanganin natin ng karagdagang relief items, we could draw down from those framework agreements. The idea here is to ensure that the DSWD is present everywhere, at any given time," she said.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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