Baguio chill drops to 'season low' of 9.8°C

Just a day after registering its coldest yet since the Amihan season, Baguio City's temperature on Saturday dropped to a new low of 9.8 degrees Celsius, state weather bureau PAGASA said.

In an interview on Dobol B TV, PAGASA weather specialist Glaiza Escullar said Baguio's latest reading was its "season low" for the 2023-2024 northeast monsoon, known locally as the Amihan.

The Saturday morning chill in the City of Pines topped the previous coldest temperature of the season at 12.2 degrees Celsius on Friday.

In Quezon City, Escullar said the PAGASA Science Garden also registered a record-low for the area at 19.9 degrees Celsius.

Escullar said low temperatures during the Amihan season are usually recorded during the second week of February.

However, the low temperatures felt during the end of January could be the lowest this season.

"Based sa historical records, although may mabababa pa rin po sa Pebrero sa Baguio at sa Science Garden, usually po mga January talaga naitatala 'yung mga lowest records," she said.

(Based on historical records, although there are low temperatures in Baguio and at the Science Garden in February, usually the lowest records are seen in January.)

"'Yung bugso na ito ngayon ay tingin po namin ay so far ito na 'yung tinitingnan nating pinakamababa ngayong season," she added.

(We look at the temperature drop today as the lowest we've seen so far this season.)

According to PAGASA, the Amihan is cold winds from the northeast that bring rains over the eastern side of the country.

In October 2023, PAGASA declared the start of the Amihan or Northeast Monsoon season.

Strong northeasterly winds were observed over Northern Luzon due to the strengthening of the high-pressure system over Siberia.

PAGASA also monitored the gradual cooling of the surface air temperature over the northeastern part of Luzon, and the increasing mean sea level pressure. — Jamil Santos/ VDV, GMA Integrated News