MANILA - State weather bureau PAGASA warned Friday that the peak of the dry season won't be felt until May, as over a dozen provinces and towns grapple with the impact of El Niño.

PAGASA Climate Monitoring and Prediction officer-in-charge Anthony Lucero said that the country will only experience isolated rainshowers after the dry season ends between the last week of May and the first week of June.

"Kapag narating na natin ang kasukdulan, mawawala na rin po iyung masyadong init at magkakaroon na rin ng kalat-kalat na pag-ulan na magbibigay ng hudyat na malapit na talaga ang malawakang pag-ulan," the scientist told radio dzMM.

As the dry season ends, Lucero said the southwest monsoon (habagat) will herald the start of the rainy season.

PAGASA expects that although the total rain volume will be less compared to previous years, rainy days will be more frequent.

"Bagama't kakaunti pa rin ang inaasahan nating pag-ulan, madadagdagan naman ang araw na may ulan," he said.

SUFFICIENT ADVISORIES

The weather bureau also maintained that it was not remiss in educating other government agencies and the public on the effects of El Niño.

Lucero said they created technical groups to ensure that information will reach all sectors.

He added that PAGASA, as early as May 2014, warned that the ongoing El Niño will be strong.

He also said that they released warnings when dry conditions were first monitored on November 2014 and when the full-blown effects of the El Niño were recorded on March 2015.

PAGASA also continues to head monthly climate fora with other government units and private organizations, Lucero said.

Seven provinces and 12 cities have been placed under a state of calamity due to the widespread effects of El Niño.

As of last March, a total of 252,176 hectares of agricultural land nationwide have been affected by the extreme heat, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The DA added that this resulted in a loss of 383,743 metric tons in agricultural production, equivalent to P5.53 billion.

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