La Niña

The wet season experienced in all parts of the country is expected to carry on until the end of May.

The National Weather service said the effects of La Nina will increase above-average rainfall across southern parts of PNG until the end of May, while the greater part of the New Guinea Islands region will experience below average rainfall.

The La Nina also increases the chance of tropical cyclone activities.

The National Weather Service (NWS) says the slightly weak La Nina conditions will prevail through February, March and April.

This week though, there is a high possibility of a cyclone forming in the Coral Sea that might see very strong winds experienced in the Southern Region.

Currently there is a tropical depression located in the Coral Sea but it will move further southeast and may develop into a tropical cyclone.

Parents, especially those travelling up to leave their children at Iarowari High School, have no choice but to wait for the river to subside.

Even those wishing to travel into Port Moresby are facing the same issue on the other side of the river.

The nation’s capital and Central Province have been experiencing continuous rainfall since the weekend, with rivers flooding their banks and drains overspilling onto roads.

The wet weather has also prompted most schools to send students home.

More to follow…

(Pictures by Lucy Arere)

Its effects were surely felt today  in the nation's capital and parts of Central Province when schools were forced to send their students back home due to the continuous downpour and cold weather.

However, what's more concerning is the project fee.

While the government has issued another warning to schools not to charge project fees, parents and teachers know too well that schools need it.

At one of the city’s biggest primary schools, Wardstrip Demonstration, concerns relating to project fees were the main query raised by parents.

NIWA said sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern part of the ocean cooled substantially in October, while tradewinds in the west have been stronger than normal.

It said the tropical Pacific has consistent La Niña like signals in both the ocean and atmosphere.

However, if one does eventuate, it is likely to be weak and short-lived.

A La Nina system is likely to keep tropical waters cooler than normal.

New Zealand's NIWA agency said there was a 70 percent chance of La Nina conditions developing from now through January.

It was also predicting a moderate to high probability of below normal rainfall in Tuvalu, eastern, western and central Kiribati, the northern Cook Islands, the Marquesas and Nauru.

A number of places can be expecting higher rainfall - namely Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and Niue.

The PNG National Weather Service confirmed that the country is now well into the wet season although there was a delay in the formation of the La Nina leading to below average rainfall.

PNGNWS assistant director Jimmy Gomoga said the La Nina normally starts in November and ends in April, however  the wet weather started only in December. 

Gomoga explained that the delay was due to the fact that the interaction between the atmosphere and the oceans was established late hence the delay.

Heavy rain is currently experienced throughout the country during this festive period and will continue into the new year as the northwest monsoon period creeps in.

During the northwest monsoon or La Niña period, the warmest waters are located closer to Australia and PNG thereby bring increased rainfall occurrences towards our region.

PNGNWS reported that La Niña events tend to but not always brings above normal rainfall across the country and in worst case scenarios, causes floods and landslides especially in the Highlands.

The PNG National Weather Service has reported that PNG is now into the north-west monsoon season which normally starts from November to April.

Weather forecaster Leo Hawarri said the country will expect heavy rainfall in the coming weeks especially in the Momase and Southern Region.

He said the wet season will prolong until April next year, however the monsoon season won’t be as effective unlike in past years due to climate change.

A La Nina watch was issued Thursday as the warming across the equatorial Pacific’s surface began to fade and cold water started building in its depths, the US Climate Prediction Center said. There is a 60 percent chance the La Nina could occur from July to September and a 70 percent chance there will be one in the winter.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology issued a watch on Tuesday.