La Niña, a weather pattern characterized by more frequent rains than typical, is likely to strike the Philippines in September or October, the state weather bureau said Thursday.

The Philippines has a 60 percent chance of experiencing La Niña by the end of September or October, said PAGASA weather forecaster Ariel Rojas.

"Hindi naman po ibig sabihin ay agad-agad makakatanggap ang ating bansa ng malalakas na pag-ulan. Ibig sabihin lang po, mas mataas sa normal--hindi naman po iyong walang humpay," he told ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo.

(This does not mean that we will immediately experience strong rains. It only means that we will have more frequent rains than usual, these won't be ceaseless.)

The weather pattern can last until 2021, he said.

La Niña, caused by below-average sea surface temperatures, can occur on average every 2 to 7 years, said the US National Ocean Service.

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A low pressure area on Thursday will dump rains over some parts of the country, said PAGASA.

The weather disturbance was 925 kilometers east of Daet, Camarines Sur at 3 a.m. It is unlikely to intensify into a storm, Rojas said.

However, the LPA's extension or trough will bring cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms over Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Caraga, and Davao Oriental, he said.

The northernmost islands of Batanes and Babuyan will experience the same weather condition due to the southwest monsoon or habagat, said Rojas.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country could expect sunny weather and localized thunderstorms in the afternoon or evening, he added.

Seven to 10 more storms may form in the Philippine area until February next year, Rojas said.