Siberian winds bring coldest day on Tuesday

MT Satellite image February 3, 2015 12:01 pm. Screengrab from https://pagasa.dost.gov.ph/index.php

MANILA, Philippines — The northeast monsoon blowing from the frozen region of Siberia in Russia pushed the temperature down to 18 degrees Celsius in Metro Manila Tuesday morning—the coldest yet for 2015.

And it may get colder in the following days, said Shaira Nonot of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Nonot said the coldest temperature was recorded at 6:45 a.m.

The new record beat the level set last January 26 when the temperature dropped to 18.5 degrees Celsius.

Nonot said the northeast monsoon, or amihan which began in October, usually peaked in January or February. Nonot said cold weather would likely prevail until early March.

The all-time low temperature record in Metro Manila was at 14.9 degrees Celsius on March 1, 1963.

Baguio City also experienced its coldest temperature since the onset of northeast monsoon on Monday at 9.8 degrees Celsius.