Warm, humid weather seen until weekend

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos will continue to experience warm and humid weather in the next two to three days due to the easterlies or warm air from the Pacific Ocean, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said yesterday.

PAGASA weather forecaster Gener Quitlong advised the public to bring umbrellas and drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

On Wednesday, the temperature in Metro Manila reached 34.9 degrees Celsius, Quitlong said.

“If you add the relative humidity that day, the heat index (or the temperature as felt by the human body) reached 37 to 38 degrees Celsius,” Quitlong said in an interview with dzBB.

He said partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated thunderstorms will be experienced over Metro Manila and the rest of the country this weekend.

Quitlong said no low-pressure area or tropical cyclone is expected to enter the country in the next few days.

PAGASA had warned the public to brace for warmer temperatures and stronger tropical cyclones during the “ber” months due to the prevailing El Niño phenomenon.

According to the state weather bureau, at least seven provinces will continue to experience drought until the end of this year due to El Niño. These are Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Camarines Norte, Aklan, Antique, North Cotabato and Sarangani.

The El Niño event is expected to last until mid-2016, PAGASA said.