A day after officially declaring the start of the dry season across the country, state weather bureau PAGASA warned that some areas may experience up to 50 degrees Celsius (°C) heat index.
“Yung sa ating two-day outlook dito sa Metro Manila, inaasahan natin posibleng pumalo ng hanggang 41 degrees Celsius,” PAGASA assistant weather services chief Chris Perez was quoted as saying during a television interview.
“Pero sa ibang bahagi ng ating bansa, of course, we’re not ruling out the possibility na maybe ‘yung highest natin during the duration of this dry season sa ating bansa ay posibleng umabot po ng mula 48°C hanggang 50°C,” he added.
Peres noted that the highest heat index may be felt around April or May.
On the other hand, as per possible heat waves, Perez noted that such abnormal increase of daily temperature can happen during mid-latitude areas that experience four seasons.
“Yung heat wave kasi usually dalawa hanggang tatlong araw na tataas ang daytime temperature mo ng at least 0.5°C or higher,” Perez said.
“Dito naman sa atin kasi sa Pilipinas, all throughout the year, naka-expose po tayo sa init ng araw. So kung magkaroon man minimal changes in the daytime temperature, ay hindi po natin agad-agad na mararamdaman. Kumbaga, hindi natin maka-classify as nakakaranas po tayo ng heat wave,” he added.
Nevertheless, Filipinos should brace themselves for hotter days ahead even at night with the start of the dry season.
PAGASA on Wednesday officially declared the start of the dry season.
