BAGUIO CITY -- Whether in the pine-covered mountains in the north or the lahar-covered plains of Central Luzon, 'tis the season to snuggle up in warm beds.
Temperatures around the country are dipping to new lows, with the temperature in Baguio City falling last Jan. 29 to a nippy 9.4 degrees Centigrade, the lowest in seven years.
That's some 20 degrees lower than the average Manila temperature. But the metropolis has also been ensconced in cool bliss, with temperatures falling to 17.9 degrees in Metro Manila and 16.8 degrees in Tagaytay last Jan. 30.
The coldest day this year in this "City of Pines" was ushered in by an entire week of chilly dawns, with thick warm blankets as sought after as diamonds. The silver mercury has been clinging to the bottom of the thermometer since Jan. 20, with a reading of 18.8 degrees.
The last week of January saw the temperatures at 14.4, 13.4, 14, 12.4, 12.6, 10.6 and then at 9.8 degrees.
The big chill in Baguio came on Saturday, Jan. 29, when the temperatures settled on a low 9.4.
Weather specialist Salvador Olinares said the normal temperature in this resort city is between 15-28 degrees, with the mean temperature at 18 degrees.
"The cold spell will last until February. By experience, the warm moist air will start flowing in by March as the transition period approaches when the northeast monsoon changes to the tradewinds season," PAGASA forecaster Bobby Rivera said.
Even in lahar-blanketed areas in Central Luzon, site of the most bruising summers ever, people are now wearing jackets and sweaters. Here, temperatures fall to as low as 17 degrees.
In the upland Western villages just within the Zambales-Pampanga-Tarlac-Pangasinan mountain boundaries, Aetas can be seen wearing thick clothes and sweaters over their usual tribal attire. Rivera said the cold spell is being brought about by the winter season in the northern hemisphere, including continental Asia.
The northeast monsoon and the Siberian winds are ushering in the cold air from continental Asia.
As spring in the temperate countries approaches, snow from the mountains will begin to thaw and the Siberian winds will carry the chill to where the northeasterly winds blow.
The cold mornings may last till the end of the month, during which time temperatures may dip even further.
Last year's coldest day was on Feb. 4, with thermometers registering a low 10 degrees.
But the coldest day in Baguio in the '90s dawned on Jan. 24, 1993, with a chilly 7.4 degrees.
The big chill as far as this city's weather records are concerned came on Jan. 18, 1961. Long-time residents look back to this year with nostalgia, for then Baguio City was blanketed by pine trees for as far the eyes could see.
The last decades of the century saw Baguio losing its cool, with environmentalists blaming the El Niño phenomenon and the degradation of the city's pristine environment.
But 1999 saw Baguio feeling like the days of old, thanks to the Siberian wind blowing on its mountaintops.