EVEN AS LA NIÑA LOOMS: Hottest day in Cebu at 36.4 degrees

CEBU, Philippines - The regional weather bureau recorded yesterday as the hottest day ever experienced in Cebu so far this year.

Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa-7) weather observer IV Bolivar Artiaga said that the temperature between 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. reached 36.4 degrees Celsius which is significantly higher than the normal temperature being experienced in the past weeks which is only at 35 degrees Celsius.

It however subsided to 35.8 degrees starting 4 p.m. to night time.

Artiaga said that since the start of 2010, yesterday was so far the hottest temperature ever recorded. He said there is also a possibility that it might reach 37 degrees Celsius or more in the next days.

Under normal season, during this period is supposedly the onset of rainy season but due to the onslaught of the El Niño phenomenon, it was delayed.

Pagasa said El Niño may last until the middle of June this year.

However the public might not be able to fully celebrate because based on observations of the current weather patterns, there is a 35 percent probability of La Niña to occur on the third quarter of this year.

While El Niño is still here, Artiaga advised the public to continue following health advisories especially that temperature keeps increasing day by day.

Staying outside the house or workplace between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. is not advisable because the hottest temperature of the day falls in between these hours.

Artiaga said parents must make sure that their children will not have too much exposure to the sun because most of the victims of the ill effects of El Niño in the health are children who have low resistance.

Dehydration and heatstroke are just some of the diseases that can be brought by the hot temperature.

He said that the kind of heat being experienced today is even worsened by transition phenomenon of the northeast winds to southwest winds.

“Tungod sa transition walay hangin kay neutral man gud ang hangin basta ana nga period,” Artiaga said. (FREEMAN NEWS)