The start of November also signals the start of the wet season for Papua New Guinea as well as the start of the Tropical Cyclone season in the southern hemisphere and in Papua New Guinea too, says the Director for the National Weather Service Mr Jimmy Gomoga. Despite stepping into the wet season, some parts of the country like New Ireland, East New Britain, parts of West New Britain, Morobe and the Highlands Region continue to be badly affected by a prolonged drought. “Respective Climate Officers from the drought affected provinces in the country have released reports of the seriousness of the drought effects faced in each province and hopes the rains can kick in early to ease the situation”, said Mr Gomoga. National Weather Office has released a drought watch for these provinces to monitor if they will receive some rain in the beginning of November. Mr Gomoga also clarified that with the transitional period from spring to summer in the Southern Hemisphere, this has caused humid temperatures currently felt in the country especially during the nights however this does not mean that the temperature is rising. He stated that It is just the change in temperature because of the transition of two season that has caused humid temperatures right now in PNG, however comes December we should be experiencing the summer heat. He also added that with the wet season now setting in, the National Weather Office has also predicted that we might be experiencing weak La-Nina, meaning there will be a fair bit of rain or we might experience below average rainfall this season. “The start of the Wet season this November also indicates the official start of the Tropical Cyclone season in the Southern Hemisphere and in Papua New Guinea too.” Mr Gomoga points out that people should be aware of the National Weather Service warnings that will be coming in from their office as they keep track of the Tropical cyclone season on a daily basis, and he urged all to follow specific instructions in case of an emergency. “This is a critical season and the weather office will be closely monitoring it, and will keep the people of this country and the government up to date, especially with the Tropical season,” he said.