ILOILO CITY -- The dry season is far from over despite the scattered rains pouring over several parts of Iloilo and Antique, a weather observer of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Iloilo Station said.
Wednesday's heavy rains were only isolated and were felt in central lloilo, Guimaras, and parts of Antique, Charlie Depra said in an interview.
Fair weather, however, was felt in northern and southern Iloilo.
“We still have generally fair weather with the possibility of heavy rains during nighttime due to localized thunderstorm,” he said.
Based on the advisory released by the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), moderate to heavy rains with lightning and strong winds due to thunderstorms affected Iloilo, Antique, particularly Tobias Fornier, Tibiao and Culasi towns; Guimaras, particularly Buenavista and Jordan; and Tapaz, Capiz and nearby areas.
Engineer Ronaldo Naragdao, chief of the PAGASA-loilo Station, said it could be a manifestation that the rainy season is already approaching.
“We have no onset of the rainy season because we have not met the criteria,” Naragdao said, referring to such criteria as continuous rains for five days and volume of water that reaches up to 25 mm.
He added that in fact the El Niño phenomenon that is felt in this part of the country will last until August.
“We still lack water. It is not sufficient to grow palay,” he said.
However, he emphasized that he is not in the position to advise farmers whether or not they should start the first cropping season.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is also in the position to tell if what crops farmers should plant to cushion the impact of the dry spell, he said. (PNA)
