Shortly after experiencing cool weather last weekend due to the northeast monsoon or “amihan,” Filipinos were greeted with warm temperature which they associate with school summer breaks.
Observations about the shift in the weather recently surfaced on social media where people commented that they could already feel the dry season usually associated with the succeeding months.
“Mainit na po sa Pinas. Naligo na ko (nang) malamig, mainit pa din,” a Twitter user wrote with a sweating face emoji.
“Summer na ba? Ang init sobra,” another online user commented with a similar emoji.
“Ramdam ko na yung summer! Joskuu (Diyos ko) ang init,” a different Filipino wrote with sun emojis.
Another social media user said that despite opening the air conditioner, she still felt the warm weather associated with school summer breaks.
Last year, a student-researcher at the University of Philippines’ Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology said that using the term “summer” to describe a season in the Philippines is not appropriate.
“Ayon sa PAGASA, ang buwan ng Marso, Abril, Mayo ay ang ‘hot dry season’ o tagtuyong mainit,” BA Racoma said before.
The seasonal changes of winter, summer, spring and fall only apply to countries located in the temperate climate zone such as the United States and most of Canada.
Meanwhile, those in the tropical zone or those near the equator like the Philippines only have two seasons—dry and rainy season.
Rainy season is felt from June to November while dry season is felt from December to May.
The dry season is further divided into two parts—the cool dry season from December to February and the hot dry season from March to May.
RELATED: Philippines has no ‘summer’ season. Here’s why.
A sharp contrast
Just this Sunday, Metro Manila recorded its lowest temperature for the “amihan” season that started on November 2020.
The Science Garden of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration in Quezon City recorded a temperature of 19.3 degrees Celsius at 6 a.m. on February 21.
It surpassed the previous low record of 19.9 degrees Celsius that was logged on January 31.
The coldest temperature that the National Capital Region has felt was at 14.5 degrees Celsius at Port Area, Manila on Jan. 11, 1914.
Baguio City, the “Summer Capital of the Philippines,” similarly experienced its coldest temperature when PAGASA said that it dropped to 9 degrees Celsius at around 5 a.m. on Sunday.
But it was even colder at La Trinidad in Benguet which recorded a temperature of 7.9 degrees Celsius on the same day.
Baguio City experienced its coldest temperature on Jan. 18, 1961 at 6.3 degrees Celsius.
On Friday, science organization Earth Shaker Philippines noted that the heat index in the PAGASA Science Garden registered at 35 degrees Celsius, which it said translates to “extreme caution.”
“Heat exhaustion and heat cramps are possible,” it added on a social media post.
Heat index pertains to the temperature that people feel, which is different from the actual temperature of the environment they are in.
The organization added that the warm temperature as of late is an effect of the “easterlies” or the warm winds coming from the Pacific Ocean.