THE rainfall volume recorded in the entire Cebu Province in the last two weeks has already breached the forecast volume for the entire month of August, according to a weather bureau official.
The estimated rainfall volume was 230 millimeters (mm), which is considered “above normal,” according to Al Quiblat, chief of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Visayas.
Quiblat said on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022, that the normal average rainfall for the month of August has been 157.9 mm for the last 30 years. But on Aug. 3 alone, they recorded 107 mm of rain and 66 mm of rain on Aug. 4, he said.
“The monthly average was breached in just two days of rainfall. That doesn’t include the rain recorded on other days,” Quiblat said in Cebuano.
Quiblat said they forecast this month’s “abnormal” rainfall, attributing it to the La Niña phenomenon, which causes heavy rains over the Philippines and its neighboring countries.
The weather bureau said last April that the La Niña phenomenon in the Philippines is likely to persist from June to August this year. The name La Niña comes from Spanish for “the girl.”
La Niña, characterized by unusually cold temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, is an oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon that is the colder counterpart of El Niño, as part of the broader El Niño–Southern Oscillation climate pattern.
The weather bureau said La Niña was responsible for increasing the likelihood of above-normal precipitation in some parts of the country.
According to Quiblat, more rainfall is expected this week and advised the general public to take precautionary measures against the impacts associated with the hazards, including flash floods and landslides.
The Pagasa Visayas chief said moderate to heavy rain showers with lightning and strong winds due to thunderstorms may persist for one to two hours over Cebu, particularly in Naga City and San Fernando and portions of Minglanilla, Carcar City, Toledo City, Balamban, Pinamungajan and Aloguinsan.