It’s official: Rainy season is here

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has advised the public to keep out of harm’s way and adopt safety measures as it declared the start of the rainy season yesterday.

“The occurrence of scattered to at times widespread rainfall associated with the southwest monsoon during the past few days as observed by most PAGASA stations in the western section of the country confirms the onset of the rainy season over the areas under the Type 1 climate,” PAGASA administrator Vicente Malano said.

Type 1 climate refers to areas along the western side of the country and associated with the southwest monsoon. The areas under Type 1 are Bataan, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Mindoro, Palawan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales and Metro Manila. 

Malano said the rains will continue to affect the country, especially over the western sections of Luzon and the Visayas.

“However, breaks in rainfall events (also known as monsoon break) that can last for several days or weeks may still occur,” he added.

PAGASA also noted that rainfall conditions for July are expected to be generally near to above normal over most parts of Luzon and the Visayas, while generally below normal in most areas of Mindanao and Southern Visayas.

A weak El Niño condition persisted in the tropical Pacific since the last quarter of 2018 and may persist during the June-July-August 2019 rainy season, it said.

“PAGASA will continue to closely monitor the situation and updates/advisories shall be issued. The public and all concerned agencies are advised to take precautionary measures against the impact of the rainy season,” Malano said.