Filipinos may survive the holiday season without bringing out jackets this year, as the state weather bureau predicted a warmer Christmas season.
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The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services
Administration (Pagasa) said PH will experience warm weather due to the
lack of moisture in the Philippine atmosphere.
Pagasa weather
forecaster Aldczar Aurelio noted this prevents the formation of clouds,
which usually shield most of direct sunlight from reaching land surface.
“There
are no clouds because of the lack of moisture. We usually have partly
cloudy skies for Christmas season that shield us from the sun,” Aurelio
said.
Aurelio gave the explanation after confirming Pagasa has recorded the lowest temperature in the entire country Thursday.
He
said Philippines experienced the coldest temperature for the year, at
12.5 degree Celsius in Baguio sometime between 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. on
December 13.
But the figure is still warmer than the 11.4-degree
Celsius which was the lowest temperature recorded in the summer capital
on December 26.
Weather forecasters said temperatures usually
drop below 10 degrees in the Pine City starting December, citing records
from 2002 to 2010.
Meanwhile, Aurelio said Metro Manila experienced a 24.7-degree Celsius temperature on Friday morning.
Rainier
Siojo of PAGASA Climatology and Agrometeorology Division noted the
latest figure is still higher than the average of 22 to 23-degree
coldness felt during the same period in 2011.
“(This) is due to the warm air brought by (Hanging) Amihan (or the northeast monsoon),” Aurelio said.
In
a separate interview, PAGASA expert Anthony Lucero said the warm air
and winds come from Siberia and mainland China, which both have been
experiencing “a warmer winter.”
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Lucero explained the warming trend of the Pacific Ocean due to El Nino
has given off warm temperature in most part of Asia, which has been
expected to last until February next year.
“But we take it as a good sign because this means good weather (hopefully until Christmas or New Year,” Aurelio noted.
Aurelio
allayed fears that the prevailing tail end of cold front that is
bringing rains in the Bicol region would extend to the rest of Luzon.
He explained the weather system usually affect the eastern part of the country around this time of the year.
