MANILA, Philippines — The state weather bureau yesterday warned of a possible dry spell or drought conditions in Luzon and the Visayas due to El Niño in the coming months. “(Sea surface temperature) has now reached El Niño levels, but atmospheric indicators do not show consistent El Niño signal as coupling is yet to be established,” Solis said. By February, generally way below to below normal rainfall will prevail, with patches of near normal rainfall in Davao region and Caraga. By April, way below to below normal rainfall conditions are expected except in Caraga. Northern Luzon and most parts of Mindanao will likely receive near normal rainfall conditions while the rest of the country will likely experience below normal rainfall conditions by May.

Source: Philippine Star December 19, 2018 16:41 UTC