BAGUIO CITY—The summer capital on Friday experienced its coldest morning yet in the last three years, with the mercury dropping further to 9.4 degrees Celsius, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) here said.
The chill, which was was felt at 6 a.m., was caused by the “amihan,” or the cool northeast monsoon season prevailing until early March, said Pagasa weather specialist, Rino Hulipas.
On Wednesday, the temperature was recorded at 10 C at 7:45 a.m.
At nearby Mt. Sto. Tomas, sitting at 2,260 meters above sea level, the temperature on Friday registered at 9 C between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.
The lowest temperature here in 2018 was 11.2 C on March 11, and in 2019 was 9.8 C on Jan. 28. In 2017, the mercury dropped to 7.3 C on Feb. 14, still far from the 6.3 C recorded on Jan. 18, 1961.
Atok gardens
In Benguet province, Atok town will be opened to tourists again starting Saturday after the local government lifted the suspension of tourism-related activities there more than two weeks ago.
Known for its cooler temperature that drops to 3 C during the amihan season, Atok is popular for its flower gardens such as Northern Blossom Flower Farm, Sakura Farm and Haight’s Place.
Atok Mayor Raymundo Sarac on Feb. 4 suspended tourism activities in the town amid the health risks that the coronavirus disease, or COVID-19 posed to the public.
But after consulting with local health and tourism officials, Sarac said the suspension had been lifted but tour site operators were required to monitor and control the influx of visitors. —VALERIE DAMIAN AND KARLSTON LAPNITEN