El Niño peak now felt, says PAGASA

The El Niño phenomenon has peaked in February, but its negative impacts are anticipated in the upcoming months, according to the state weather bureau PAGASA.

"Right now, El Niño is strong and mature, so it means that the peak of El Niño has been reached, but the impact of this [will] be around March, April, [and] May," PAGASA Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section chief Analiza Solis said in a press briefing on Thursday.

Solis noted that the normalization of rainfall is still yet to be determined since there is a pre-development of La Niña. “So what we see is when the rain is normal, around June [or] July, but then we have a high probability of having La Nina.”

Solis also said that due to the heat index, or ‘alinsangan,’ the daytime temperatures in April and May can hit up to 40°C.

With this, Office of Civil Defense Spokesperson Edgar Posadas said that this occurrence would be dangerous since the normal body temperature of a person is only 37°C.

"So it appears that it's hotter outside, it's like we have a fever," he said, noting that "the key is hydration" in staying healthy during this season.

"We should have eight to twelve glasses, let's add more, per day..and we have to be properly hydrated. The ones we wear should not be too hot."

"Make sure they get BP (blood pressure) all the time. Those with conditions like diabetes, renal conditions, [and] epilepsy are the ones who are very sensitive to the amount of water and the heat," he added.

PAGASA reported earlier that 41 provinces are currently affected by the onslaught of El Niño, a reduction from the 21 January 2024 assessment, wherein 50 provinces were recorded.

Provinces that are in dry conditions are Batangas, Laguna, Masbate, Oriental Mindoro, Antique, Biliran, Capiz, Cebu, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Iloilo, Leyte, Negros Oriental, Samar Lanao del Norte, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

Dry spells, on the other hand, are now experienced in the provinces of Abra, Aurora, Bataan, Isabela, Metropolitan Manila, Occidental Mindoro, Quirino, Rizal, Zambales, and Negros Occidental, while drought currently creeps into the provinces of Apayao, Benguet, Cagayan, Cavite, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Kalinga, La Union, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Palawan, and Pangasinan.