Assessing Rainfall Variability in Philippine Study Sites: The Rainman Application

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Provision of weather or climate forecasts is important because it enables policy/decisionmakers to implement alternative courses of action to mitigate potential damages to the agricultural sector. Based on global studies, ENSO (El Niño southern oscillation) and other sea surface temperature anomalies are known to influence global climate, altering rainfall and other climate variables. Rainman is one of the models available which can evaluate the effects of ENSO on seasonal climatic patterns and on the variability of rainfall in the Philippines. This brief writeup focuses on the use of the Rainman program in three selected study sites of the Philippines--Isabela (in Luzon); Baybay, Leyte (in the Visayas); and Malaybalay, Bukidnon (in Mindanao).