Tuguegarao City sizzles at 40.4 °C

MANILA, Philippines - The country’s hottest temperature so far this year was at 40.4 degrees Celsius recorded in Tuguegarao City in Cagayan at 2 p.m. yesterday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the country’s highest temperature was at 42.2 degrees Celsius recorded in Tuguegarao City on May 11, 1969.

In Metro Manila, the hottest temperature yesterday was 35.5 degrees Celsius.

The warmest recorded in the metropolis so far was 36.7 degrees Celsius last May 24.

PAGASA said the ridge of high pressure area will continue to prevail over Northern Luzon, bringing warm and humid weather in the next days.

“The whole country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms,” PAGASA said.

Students returning to public schools today are advised to bring umbrellas as rain showers and thunderstorms are expected.

Speaking to The STAR, Robert Sawi, PAGASA weather division chief, said warm and humid weather is expected in the morning and rain showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon.

“We expect rains to become more frequent in the latter part of the week,” he said.

PAGASA predicts the onset of the rainy season associated with the southwest monsoon between June 1 and 10.

It expects the westerly to southwesterly winds associated with the southwest monsoon to prevail initially over the western section of Luzon tomorrow.

Cloudy skies and scattered light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms are expected over Metro Manila, Palawan, Mindoro, Cavite, Batangas, Bataan and Zambales.

The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

From Wednesday to Friday, the southwest monsoon is expected to bring occasional monsoon rains over the Ilocos region, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and over Western Visayas.