The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) raised an El Niño alert, with the weather phenomenon expected to hit between June and August 2026.
PAGASA reported that its alert stemmed from climate models that suggest a 79 percent chance of El Niño occurrence due to the El Niño Southern Oscillation-Neutral, which had prevailed over the Tropical Pacific.
El Niño is characterized by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures.
Rainfall still expected
Despite the notion that El Niño is a dry season that brings droughts across the country, PAGASA explained that above-normal rainfall may still be felt in the western part of the archipelago due to the Southwest Monsoon, locally referred to as habagat.
PAGASA urged the public to remain vigilant regarding the developing El Niño to ensure that adequate precautionary measures are taken to prevent any impact from the intense heat.