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Philippines records fewer storms, faces worst drought in decades

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Agence France-Presse

<p>The Philippines has so far endured fewer storms in 2023 than in any of the past 25 years and now faces potentially the worst drought in decades, officials said Tuesday.</p><p>The tropical archipelago nation -- which is ranked among the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change -- is usually affected by around 20 major storms a year.</p><p>So far this year, only 10 have made landfall or come close, the lowest number since 1998 when 11 were recorded, said Ana Solis, chief climatologist at the state weather forecaster.</p><p>With less than three weeks of the year left, &quot;it looks like the record will be beaten&quot;, Solis told AFP, adding that climate change was &quot;probably&quot; a factor.</p><p>The Philippines began keeping weather records in 1948, Solis said.</p><p>As a consequence of the weather phenomenon known as El Nino, the Philippines was also likely to experience &quot;moderate to severe drought conditions&quot; from February to May 2024, the government&#x27;s Science and Technology Department Secretary Renato Solidum told reporters.</p><p>That would be comparable to the drought during the 1997-1998 El Nino, which was the country&#x27;s worst-ever dry spell.</p><p>El Nino was already underway, bringing drier conditions to some areas of the country where there had been up to an 80 percent reduction in rainfall, Solidum said.</p><p>Solidum said 77 percent of the country&#x27;s provinces were expected to be in drought by the end of May.</p><p>He urged government agencies to begin preparing to ensure enough water, food and electricity would be available.</p><p>&quot;We need to plan ahead and make it fast,&quot; Solidum said.</p><p>Temperatures in the capital Manila could reach up to 38.3 degrees Celsius (100.9 degrees Fahrenheit) in April and May -- comparable to 1998 figures, he said.</p><p>Northern areas of the main island of Luzon could hit 41C.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j58orbmVJhU?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><div> </div>

The Philippines endured fewer storms in 2023 than in any of the past 25 years and now faces potentially the worst drought in decades.