Vice President Manuel “Noli” de Castro advised the public Saturday to be prepared for the onset of El Niño amid warnings made that the local economy and sectors that depend on water like agriculture, energy and even health will be severely affected by this weather phenomenon.

“We should start our preparations now before it is too late because all signs point to a terrible summer brought by El Niño,” De Castro said, during his Saturday morning radio program "Para Sayo Bayan” aired over DZMM.

El Niño is caused by warming of the seas in the Pacific and is associated with increased rainfall across the east-central and eastern Pacific but with drier than normal conditions over northern Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

El Niño usually means lack of rainfall and lesser tropical cyclones for the Philippines.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that temperatures have been rising around the country as the El Niño phenomenon nears its peak.

The weather bureau meteorologists told De Castro that they noticed a rise of between .01 to 1 degree Celsius in temperatures in various parts of the country.

For example, in Metro Manila, the average maximum temperature for January was at 31.2 degrees Celsius. Normally, the metropolis sees maximum temperatures at 30.4 degrees Celsius for the same period.

In Baguio City, the average maximum temperature for January was at 13.3 degrees Celsius, higher than the average 12.9 degrees Celsius in the city.

Malacañang Vice President Manuel “Noli” de Castro yesterday advised the public to be prepared for the onset of El Niño amid warnings made that the local economy and sectors that depend on water like agriculture, energy and even health will be severely affected by this weather phenomenon.

“We should start our preparations now before it is too late because all signs point to a terrible summer brought by El Niño,” De Castro said, during his Saturday morning radio program "Para Sayo Bayan” aired over DZMM.

El Niño is caused by warming of the seas in the Pacific and is associated with increased rainfall across the east-central and eastern Pacific but with drier than normal conditions over northern Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

El Niño usually means lack of rainfall and lesser tropical cyclones for the Philippines.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that temperatures have been rising around the country as the El Niño phenomenon nears its peak.

The weather bureau meteorologists told De Castro that they noticed a rise of between .01 to 1 degree Celsius in temperatures in various parts of the country.

For example, in Metro Manila, the average maximum temperature for January was at 31.2 degrees Celsius. Normally, the metropolis sees maximum temperatures at 30.4 degrees Celsius for the same period.

In Baguio City, the average maximum temperature for January was at 13.3 degrees Celsius, higher than the average 12.9 degrees Celsius in the city.