Pagasa: Good weather to prevail this month

MANILA, Philippines - It will be typhoon-free towards the end of the month, state weather forecasters said yesterday.

Administrator Nathaniel Servando of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and weather division chief Robert Sawi see a slim chance of tropical storm formation this month.

“We don’t see a low-pressure area developing,” Servando told The STAR in a text message. “One of the possible reasons is the evolving El Niño-like condition.” 

Sawi said one to two storms usually enter the country in November. 

A total of 15 storms have entered the country so far this year, PAGASA said. 

However, the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization said latest forecasts showed that the likelihood of El Niño conditions developing during the remainder of 2012 is now low. 

El Niño phenomenon refers to the abnormal warming of the sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and is characterized by below normal rainfall. It occurs every two to seven years. 

Meanwhile, the weather bureau said the intertropical convergence zone will continue to bring cloudy skies with occasional light to moderate rainshowers or thunderstorms over the regions of Davao and Soccsksargen.

Earlier, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported at least two people have been killed and one went missing due to floods from intermittent rain in Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte and Davao Oriental.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be partly cloudy with isolated brief rainshowers or thunderstorms in the afternoon or evening.

PAGASA said coastal waters in Eastern Visayas and Eastern Mindanao will be moderate to rough. The rest of the country will have slight to moderate seas, PAGASA added.