According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, climate model outlooks it surveyed suggest that the likelihood of El Niño forming in 2017 has risen, pushing the bureau’s El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) status from “neutral” to “watch” which means that the likelihood of El Niño developing in 2017 is approximately 50 percent. Six models suggest El Niño thresholds may be reached by July 2017,” it said in a statement. During an episode of El Niño, sea level pressure is lower in the eastern Pacific and higher in the western Pacific. In late 2015 to June 2016, the Philippines experienced one of the most severe El Niño phenomena on record. El Niño in the Philippines is characterized by delayed onset or early termination of the rainy season.

Source: Philippine Star March 15, 2017 04:07 UTC