BAGUIO CITY—Temperatures here dropped to 9.4 degrees Celsius at 4:30 a.m. on Monday, the state weather bureau said.
Letty Dispo of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the lowest temperature recorded for 2017 so far was 9.2 degrees on Sunday, Feb. 12.
It was 7 degrees at Mt. Santo Tomas, which is 2,260 meters above sea level, and as low as 2 degrees at Mount Pulag (2,922 masl), recorded last month.
Chilly temperatures may still be experienced until the end of February, and is attributed to the northeast monsoon from China and Mongolia, Dispo said.
The average temperature in Baguio is from 10 to 12 degrees Celsius.
Baguio and the province of Benguet will experience isolated light rains but will generally have good weather throughout the week, Dispo added.
Pagasa-Baguio is anticipating a low temperature of 7.5 degrees until the end of the month.
The coldest temperature recorded in 2016 was at 5 a.m. on Jan. 26—10.8 degrees at the Central Business District.
The mercury dropped to 10.5 degrees Friday morning from Thursday’s 11.8 degrees, before plunging to a single digit early Saturday.
The coldest temperature recorded in Baguio was 6.3 degrees Celsius on Jan. 18, 1961.
The cold spell in the city and other highly elevated areas in Benguet and Mountain Province usually prevails from November to March, because of the prevalence of the northeast monsoon that brings the winter winds from China and Siberia.
Health authorities advised residents and visitors alike to wear jackets, bonnets, socks and thick clothes when going outdoors to make sure they will not catch a cold or related diseases, which might spoil their stay in the city.
City health officials urged the public to keep their immune systems strong by eating the right food that would help their bodies ward off the illnesses.
Last month, the coldest temperature that was recorded was 11 degrees Celsius sometime after the New Year and the coldest temperature in the city ranged from 11 to 5 degrees Celsius before again dropping to 9.6 degrees Celsius Saturday morning. With Dexter A. See
