Baguio chill returns amid ‘amihan’

BAGUIO CITY, Benguet, Philippines — A nippy Monday morning greeted residents and tourists here as the mercury plunged to 11.8°C at 6 a.m., the coldest so far this month.

Leticia Dispo, a weather specialist at the government weather bureau here, said colder days would be felt in the city until February when the prevailing “amihan,” or northeast monsoon remained active.

Amihan is the weather system being experienced during the holiday season or when the country experiences a transition from the southwest monsoon, or “habagat” that ended in October.

Dispo advised residents and those visiting the city to wear thick clothes as the temperature was expected to drop further.

This year, the lowest temperature in the city was 9.8°C on Jan. 28. The coldest ever was 6.3°C recorded on Jan. 18, 1961.

Local tourism officials are banking on the cold weather to draw more visitors.