Overlapping heat, rain: Why El Niño and Habagat can happen all at once

All that toil came to naught for a farmer whose rice field in San Ildefonso, Bulacan province, has been reduced to a drought-scarred landscape in this March 13, 2019 photo, which is one of the effects of El Niño that hit the country that year. | INQUIRER.net file photo / Richard A. Reyes

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — Hot days, water shortages, and drought are often associated with El Niño, while heavy rains and flooding are usually linked to the southwest monsoon or habagat.

At first glance, the two weather phenomena seem to contradict each other.

After all, how can the country experience an El Niño event that brings drier conditions while also dealing with days of intense monsoon rains?

Weather experts say the answer lies in understanding that El Niño and habagat are two different systems that can occur at the same time.