THE start of next week will probably bring in some relief in Negros Occidental amid the weak El Niño.
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) head Zeaphard Caelian said the province could expect rainfall sometime between Sunday and Monday brought about by a brewing storm.
“Hopefully this will bring some relief from the heat caused by the El Niño phenomenon,” Caelian said.
He said that based on projected models from European and American weather services, the storm will likely develop into a tropical depression and there is a chance that it could pass over the southern part of Negros Occidental, which has been hit hard by the ongoing dry spell.
Despite the relief, the PDRRMO is still issuing caution to the public over possible flash floods and landslides caused by the storm should it pass by the province.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Friday reported that it is presently monitoring a storm brewing outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility and likely to enter over the weekend.
Based on data provided by Pagasa as of 2 p.m. Friday, the low pressure area was last located 1,910 kilometers east of Mindanao with maximum winds at 45 kilometers per hour (kph) and with gusts at 60 kph.
The storm was moving west at 20 kph and could make landfall at the eastern part of Mindanao on Monday or Tuesday, if the storm maintains its current track and speed. (TDE)