KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 26 April) – Six provinces and one city in Mindanao are experiencing a dry spell, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). In its April 21 advisory, PAGASA listed Basilan, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Sur, and Davao City as affected areas. Mindanao comprises 28 provinces and 33 cities.
Additionally, Antique, Guimaras, and Northern Samar in the Visayas, along with Albay, Bataan, Batangas, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Cavite, Laguna, Marinduque, Masbate, Metropolitan Manila, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Pampanga, Quezon, Rizal, Romblon, Sorsogon, and Zambales in Luzon, are under a dry spell.
PAGASA defines a dry spell as three consecutive months of below-normal rainfall (21-60% reduction from average). Meanwhile, 13 Mindanao provinces—Agusan del Sur, Bukidnon, Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga del Norte, and Zamboanga Sibugay—are under a dry condition, characterized by two consecutive months of below-normal rainfall.
Aurora in Luzon and Aklan, Biliran, Capiz, Eastern Samar, Iloilo, Leyte, Negros Occidental, Samar, and Southern Leyte in the Visayas are also under dry condition. No areas in Mindanao or the Visayas are experiencing drought, but 15 Luzon provinces—Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Kalinga, La Union, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Pangasinan, Quirino, and Tarlac—are classified under drought, defined as three months of way below-normal rainfall (60% reduction).
PAGASA issued these assessments as part of its El Niño monitoring. As of April 22, ENSO-neutral conditions prevail, but models suggest a 79% chance of El Niño emerging in June-July-August, likely persisting until early 2027. ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) significantly impacts global weather patterns, influencing temperature and precipitation worldwide. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
