A chilly Thursday greeted Metro Manila residents with air temperature dropping to 19 degrees Celsius – its lowest so far this “amihan” season.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration, the lowest temperature reading in Metro Manila was observed at around 7:50 a.m. at its Science Garden monitoring station in Quezon City.
The coldest day in history in Metro Manila was registered twice on Feb. 4, 1987 and Dec. 30, 1988 at 15.1 degrees Celsius.
Thursday’s cold weather is attributed to the strong northeast monsoon or amihan affecting the entire country.
PAGASA said Batanes and Babuyan Islands will have cloudy skies with light rains while Metro Manila and the rest of the country will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains until the weekend.
Due to the surge of amihan, a gale warning remains in effect as sea travel remains risky over the northern seaboard of Northern Luzon and the western and eastern seaboard of Northern Luzon.
PAGASA continues to monitor a low pressure area east of Mindanao that may enter the country’s area of responsibility today or tomorrow.
The LPA, which was estimated at 1,890 kilometers east of Mindanao yesterday morning, may intensify into a tropical depression while still at sea.
The potential cyclone has no direct effect yet over any part of the country as of yesterday. Once it becomes a tropical depression inside the country’s vicinity, PAGASA said the first tropical cyclone this year and this month will be given a local name of “Amang.” (Ellalyn V. Ruiz)