LEGAZPI CITY, Albay (PIA) – Above-average rainfall is posing a threat to the Bicol region for January and February this year due to the ongoing influence of La Niña weather pattern.
State weather bureau Pagasa-Southern Luzon said that the country remains under La Niña alert status, which has been in effect since 2024.
As of January 2025, there is a 63 percent chance of La Niña affecting the country, the weather agency added.
If sea surface temperatures in the Niño 3.4 region of the Pacific continue to drop by 0.5°C below normal by February, La Niña likelihood could rise to 70 percent, Pagasa said.
The Niño 3.4 region is used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to determine whether El Niño (less rainfall) or La Niña (more rainfall) is occurring.
A drop in temperatures in this area typically results in increased rain in the Philippines.
Also, Pagasa-Southern Luzon said that La Niña is a natural climate phenomenon characterized by cooler ocean surface temperatures in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific.
It represents the cool phase of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle and can occur every three to five years, sometimes in succession, it added. (PIA5)
