Tungod niini, gise-guro gahapon sa Presidente nga magbaton og mas daghang automated weather stations ang PAGASA aron makahatag kini og real-time weather situation reports sa publiko.  Sa pagbaton og mas daghang AWS, mas daling masukod ang rainfall, wind speed, air pressure, wind direction, relative humidity, air temperature ug uban pang weather parameters nga gamiton sa PAGASA. (PIABohol/ecb)

Robert Sawi, weather section chief of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said the La Niña event is likely to bring
rains in the country during the summer months of April and May.

“Precisely this coming summer season will be cooler than last year… the (La Niña) rains
could slightly disperse heat,” he said.

Sawi said Pagasa expects the highest daytime temperature to reach 35 degrees Celsius this
year, compared to the 39 degrees Celsius recorded last year in Isabela province.

Pagasa earlier warned the country might experience a wet summer this year because of the
La Niña.

Sawi, however, clarified this does not mean it will be raining the whole summer. “We can
expect more rainy days (this summer) compared to the normal,” he said.

La Niña refers to the abnormal cooling of the sea surface temperature in the equatorial
Pacific and is characterized by excessive rainfall. (PIA)

Robert Sawi, weather branch chief of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said the northeast monsoon – the system
that brings rain and cool weather to the country – is expected to end this February.

Sawi said the public can expect gradually increasing temperatures in the coming days.

Sawi, meanwhile, said Pagasa expects a normal onset of the summer season for the areas
under Type I climate which includes Metro Manila Ilocos Region, western part of Mountain
Province, western part of Nueva Ecija, Central Luzon, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Tarlac,
Pampanga, Bulacan, Bataan, Zambales, Occidental Mindoro, southern parts of Antique and
Iloilo, northwestern part of Palawan, and the southern parts of Negros Oriental and Negros
Occidental.

Areas under Type I climate have two pronounced seasons – dry from November to April and
wet during the rest of the year. Its maximum rain period is from June to September.

Although there will be rains during the dry season due to lingering La Nina phenomenon, high
temperatures are still expected during summer, Sawi said. (PIA)

Robert Sawi, senior forecaster of state weather bureau PAGASA in a radio interview said that
the northeast monsoon, locally known as the “hanging amihan,” is causing the temperature
plunge.

He said the phenomenon will last until the middle of February.

Sawi expects the summer of 2011 to be rainy because of the La Niña phenomenon. (PIA)

Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)
weather forecaster Mario Palafox said at a press briefing that the potential cyclone is
presently still a low-pressure area (LPA) just outside the Philippine area of responsibility.

He said it is possible the LPA may become a cyclone before it enters Philippine territory
Saturday.

Once the cyclone is inside the Philippine territory, it will be codenamed “Katring.”

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)
reported that the death toll from super typhoon “Juan” (international name: Megi) has risen to
19 as of Thursday morning. (PIA)

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geosphysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the autumn equinox will occur at 11 am on September 23. This is the time where day and night will have equal length on Earth — 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night.

In the northern hemishpere, this marks a shift in season from autumn to winter. The equinox occurs twice a year, the vernal or spring equinox happened last March.

President Aquino told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo that he wants more “precision” in the way the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) predicts weather movements.

The PAGASA weather bulletin on Tuesday said Basyang would batter Northern and Central Luzon areas, and listed Metro Manila among the areas that would be under Storm Signal No. 1, with 30 to 60 kilometers-per-hour winds. However, the storm hit the metropolis before dawn Wednesday, cutting off power supply in most areas.

“Changes should be known to the public at the earliest possible time,” said Aquino, adding that delays in weather forecast advisories slow down government response.

Aquino said there should also be improvements in the dissemination of information, such as finding ways to inform small-time fishermen who cannot afford radio equipment if there have been changes in the weather so they can immediately go back to shore.

Aquino earlier reprimanded PAGASA for failing to announce that the typhoon would hit hard Metro Manila. (PIA-Bohol)

The weather forecasters’ last weather bulletin on Basyang (international name Conson) reported that the typhoon was 400 kilometers west-northwest of Dagupan City as of 5:00 a.m. Thursday.

PAGASA says, “”Tropical Storm Conson has left the Philippine area of responsibility and threatens Hainan Island in China.”

Before leaving the country, Basyang was moving at a speed of 19 kilometers per hour, packing maximum winds of 85 kph and gustiness of up to 100 kph.

The government reported 23 deaths, 59 missing people, and 19 injured individuals.

The typhoon reached Philippine land areas Tuesday night and swept through Metro Manila and central Luzon, affecting almost 13,000 families.

A large part of Luzon suffered total power failure around dawn on Wednesday as Basyang damaged electric power transmission lines. (PIA-Bohol)