La Nina is likely to end in the coming months as it started to weaken last December, an official from the state weather bureau said on Thursday.In an interview with the Daily Manila Shimbun, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (Pagasa) Assistant Weather Service Chief Analiza Solis said La Nina is forecast to end between February to March.

"La Nina is weakening. Usually our indicator of that is the three months (monitoring), so December, January, February, when it starts to weaken but the end is probably until February to March," she said.

La Nina is one of the factors causing heavy rains in the Philippines.

However, Solis noted that the impact of La Nina may remain due to the activity of the weather system in the country.

"The impact is still there because based on our forecast the probability of getting above normal rainfall in the areas, especially in Eastern Visayas and Mindanao including Bicol is still high," she said.

"We may still have rains because the convective activity of our weather system remain high," she added.

Solis added that the country is expected to have a short dry season this year but she also noted there are indications that El Nino will occur this year.

"Mostly its effect is going to the dry season or dry condition, which means we will clearly see the end of La Nina, its impact in the western section of our country where we will really feel the dry season. By March, April and then May by the second half of May, we will have the onset of the rainy season so we will only have a short dry season if ever," she said.

"We already saw a signal of having El Nino this year but it is still far and there is uncertainty but then we already monitor the signal as early as last year that there will be an El Nino so we will prepare for it by the end of the year," she added. Robina Asido/DMS