Philippines raises alert for La Nina

Manila, July 13 (IANS) The Philippines’ state weather bureau has raised the alert for La Nina, suggesting that 70 percent of the weather phenomenon will start in August and likely persist until the first quarter of next year.

In an advisory Friday, the bureau said its climate monitoring shows “further cooling of the sea surface temperature across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific.”

The bureau warned that the country is at a heightened risk of increased convective activity and tropical cyclone occurrence, which could lead to above-normal rainfall over some parts of the country in the coming months.

It further warned of potential adverse impacts, including floods and landslides over vulnerable areas, of varying magnitude, reported Xinhua news agency.

The bureau stressed the importance of continuous monitoring and the implementation of precautionary measures against the impending climate impacts for all concerned government agencies and the general public.

La Nina is a global climate pattern in which cool waters from deep in the eastern Pacific Ocean well up to the surface, creating a pool of cooler-than-normal waters along the east and central Pacific equator.

–IANS

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