Chilly nights to last up to February, says Pagasa

Robert Sawi, officer in charge of the weather division of the Pagasa. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Bundle up!  The cold weather is expected to persist the rest of January and well into February,  according to the state weather bureau.

“Even at daytime, the weather is cool primarily because of the strength of icy winds blowing from Siberia,” explained Robert Sawi, officer in charge of the weather division of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Although the northeast monsoon, locally known as hanging amihan, typically begins in the last quarter of the previous year, the Philippines experiences its coldest weather in January and February.

Based on Pagasa’s climate data, the lowest temperature in Metro Manila was recorded in February 1962, at 14.6 degrees Celsius, at Science Garden in Quezon City.  Baguio, the country’s summer capital, recorded its coldest temperature in January 1961, at 6.3 degrees.

Pagasa considers temperature readings at Science Garden to be most representative of Metro Manila.

So far, in 2014, the lowest temperature in Metro Manila was recorded at 19.2 degrees Celsius on Jan. 1 and Jan. 12. In Baguio, it was 9.6 degrees, also on Jan. 12.

Friday, Jan. 17, was somewhat warmer at 21.5 degrees Celsius in Metro Manila, and 10 degrees in Baguio.

Pagasa forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said Filipinos should expect the cool weather to persist until February.

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