DAVAO CITY — An official of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the country will likely experience above normal rainfall condition starting August as the La Niña weather phenomenon is almost fully developed.

Dr. Susan Espinueva, Hydrometeorology Division chief of the Pagasa, said majority of global weather models are now predicting La Niña conditions could occur in August with a probability of more than 80 percent.

“It’s for sure. We will be experiencing above normal rainfall in August,” Espinueva told reporters during the unveiling of the Automated Weather Station (AWS) in this city.

“The criteria for declaring the La Niña event had been met, which entails severe weather condition starting next month,” Espinueva added.

Pagasa characterized La Niña (Little Girl) as the cooling of equatorial Pacific Ocean, which occurs every three to five years on the average that lasts by about nine months to one year.

“During La Niña conditions, major parts of the country experience near normal to above normal rainfall conditions particularly over the eastern sections of the country. La Niña conditions also favor tropical cyclone formation over the western Pacific, which tend to increase the number of tropical cyclones,” it added.

United States-based Climate Prediction Centre of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NASA) predicted that La Niña conditions will likely continue until early 2011.

A statement by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) based in Geneva, Switzerland said “cool-neutral to weak La Niña conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific following the rapid dissipation of El Niño in early May.”

WMO said these conditions are likely to strengthen over the coming months, adding to extreme climate events in some parts of the world.

The Philippines felt the effects of El Niño event early this year. Its delayed effects however continued until July when Pagasa only recorded three tropical cyclones, short of one to two storms from the average 19 to 20 storms in a year.

A climate expert in a forum at the Department of Agrarian Reform named last Wednesday some 69 provinces that will severely experience the brunt of La Niña event.

These provinces include Abra, Aklan, Ilocos Norte, La Union, Nueva Vizcaya, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Zambales and Zamboanga, Aurora, Batangas, Bukidnon, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Cavite, Cebu, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Laguna, Masbate, Mindoro Occidental, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Negros Occidental, Palawan, Quirino, Sorsogon, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga de Sibugay, Rizal, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Albay, Davao Oriental, Dinagat Islands, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Surigao del Sur, Western Samar, Compostela Valley, Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte, Baguio City, Ilocos Norte, Iloilo City, La Union, Pangasinan, Tarlac and Zambales.

Espinueva said local government units and households should take advantage of the La Niña event by setting up rainwater harvesting facility for the collection of rainwater that can be stored for use during dry seasons.

She cited for example a rainwater cistern set up at the University of Western Visayas, which is being used to collect rainwater for its drinking water needs.