Baguio, Northern Luzon chill on coldest morning yet

MANILA, Philippines—The temperature in Baguio City dipped to 10.4 degrees Celsius on Saturday morning, its lowest so far this year, as the amihan (northeast monsoon) season reached its peak period, according to forecasters from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Pagasa said the rest of Northern Luzon also chilled at low temperatures, including the hottest place in the country, Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, which shivered at 17.5 degrees on Saturday.

Weather forecaster Alvin Pura said Metro Manila’s lowest temperature on Saturday was 21.9 degrees, a bit warmer than Friday’s 20.2 degrees, although colder temperatures of up to 16 degrees to 18 degrees in the capital region could be expected for the duration of the northeast monsoon.

But the surge of the amihan can also mean strong to gale-force winds, said Pura, who advised fishing boats and other small vessels against venturing out to the northern and eastern seaboards of Luzon as well as the eastern seaboards of the Visayas and Mindanao because of rough to very rough seas. He also alerted larger vessels to waves that could top 4.5 meters.

Visayas, Mindanao forecast

In Pagasa’s forecast for Sunday, Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Caraga and the provinces of Misamis Oriental and Camiguin are expected to have cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and isolated thunderstorms, because of the effects of the tail-end of a cold front. The rest of the Visayas and Mindanao will be partly cloudy to cloudy, with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

With the northeast monsoon prevailing over Luzon, the regions of Ilocos and Cagayan Valley, as well as the Cordillera Administrative Region, will be cloudy with light rains, while Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will be partly cloudy to cloudy, with isolated light rains.

Pura said the 10.4 degree temperature was recorded around 5 a.m. on Saturday in Baguio City. He added that temperatures in the country’s summer capital could dip to single-digit figures this week, to as low as 7 degrees, until the first half of February which is the peak period of the amihan.

The 17.5-degree temperature in Tuguegarao City was felt around 6 a.m., Saturday, while Itbayat in Batanes chilled at 15 degrees at 2 a.m., Pura said.

Last year, Baguio City was at its coldest on Jan. 19 at 8.1 degrees, while the National Capital Region felt chilliest on Jan. 26 at 15.8 degrees.

The lowest temperature recorded in Metro Manila for the year so far was 18.9 degrees on Jan. 10, the same day the second lowest temperature in Baguio City at 10.6 degrees was recorded.

Historically the lowest temperature in Baguio was 6.3 degrees on Jan. 18, 1961, while Metro Manila experienced its coldest morning in February 1962 at 14.6 degrees.