00:00 El Niño could possibly weaken by the end of February,
00:03 but its effects will last for months.
00:08 The water level is also expected to drop in the dams in Luzon this dry season.
00:13 Let's find out the details in the words of Rod Lagusan.
00:17 "Hot is the heat."
00:21 This is how the hope of the people experiencing the heat is portrayed now,
00:24 because El Niño's effects are already showing its presence in the current dry season.
00:29 This is even though there are still cold surges in the Aminia region
00:32 that could end this coming March.
00:34 According to the hope, strong and mature El Niño
00:38 could continue to be experienced until the end of the month.
00:40 But this is not yet over.
00:43 "It will slowly weaken,
00:47 but the impact of El Niño will only be there
00:51 because it has a lag effect.
00:54 So, meaning, we will still experience in the next couple of months
00:58 a warmer temperature,
01:01 there will be heat,
01:02 there will be cold,
01:03 and also a big decrease in rainwater."
01:06 That's why El Niño's lag effect needs to be improved.
01:09 It cannot be experienced simultaneously
01:11 and it could last for a long time in some places.
01:13 And if it will continue for the second half of the year?
01:16 "Hopefully, it won't.
01:18 But there are still models that say that
01:21 the impact there is still possible
01:23 and there is still a high probability that it will rain.
01:29 And also, based on our forecast,
01:31 there are areas that will have rain,
01:33 that will be normalized.
01:35 And although those are the areas that we can say are below normal,
01:39 but there will be rain."
01:41 According to the hope,
01:41 in 14 provinces as of January 2024,
01:45 there will be a so-called meteorological drought
01:48 or three months that will be lower than normal rainfall.
01:52 This means that there will be a 60% decrease in rainfall.
01:56 Or five months that will be below normal
01:59 or 21 to 60% decrease in rainfall
02:01 and most of it will be in the Luzon.
02:04 This is because the main dams in the region
02:07 are affected by the decrease in the water level.
02:10 "In the past,
02:12 there was no rain,
02:14 but it was weak or isolated.
02:18 So, it was all down.
02:22 The good news is that this Angat,
02:24 even if it is low,
02:26 it still passed the rule curve elevation.
02:32 It means that the elevation of Angat is normal."
02:36 The water level in Angat is 207 meters.
02:38 It is higher than the 199.06 meters rule curve.
02:43 It is possible that it will go down to the low water level
02:45 if the dry season is still long.
02:47 The situation of the San Roque, Pantabangan and Magat dams is different.
02:51 They started last year
02:53 with a low water level.
02:54 It is not as high as we expect.
02:57 They are not at the normal high.
03:00 The water elevation of a dam
03:04 is at the level of the rule curve elevation
03:09 or a little higher.
03:11 It is okay.
03:12 But because of the three dams,
03:16 it is lower than the rule curve.
03:20 So, I can say that the elevation is low.
03:25 According to the experts,
03:26 there is a dry spell and dry condition
03:28 in Visayas and Mindanao.
03:30 The highest temperature of the year
03:33 in Zamboanga City was 37.1 degrees Celsius
03:35 on February 16.
03:38 The heat index that people experience
03:40 in a place is different from the discomfort
03:41 that people feel in a place.
03:44 Rod Laguzad,
03:45 for Pambansang TV in Bagong, Philippines.
