We are just a few weeks away from April. Filipinos usually expect we’d be blasting our electric fans or air conditioners by now, especially since we've already begun sweating through the rising heat indices earlier this month.
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But the weather threw a massive curveball over the weekend, bringing surprising chills across Luzon instead of the expected heat.
On Saturday, March 14, the town of La Trinidad in Benguet plunged to 7.5°C, which turned crops frozen. By Sunday, March 15, Baguio City recorded a biting 9.4°C.
It feels entirely out of place for this time of the year.
The sudden temperature drop may feel weird, but meteorologists have a clear explanation. It all boils down to the interaction between the “amihan” or northeast monsoon and the remnants of a recently dissolved storm.
Robert Speta, operational and broadcast meteorologist from Western Pacific Weather, said this cold snap is actually a “side effect” of Tropical Storm Nuri.
The storm essentially acted like a vacuum. Speta noted that Nuri helped pull cold, late-spring air out of China down to the south over the last few days.
Combine that with winds coming from the north and clear skies overnight, so you get a solid drop in temperature.
But Nuri’s already gone. The low-pressure area formerly known as Nuri already dissipated, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) confirmed on Friday, March 13.
In his latest update, Speta explained that the tropical system was “shredded and sheared apart” by the northeast monsoon itself. The dry air and wind shear – a sudden change in wind speed and direction – tore the system apart. What was left was a strong monsoonal flow pushing cold weather clouds across the Philippines.
This powerful push of cold air definitely made its mark outside the usual mountainous spots.
In the wee hours of March 15, Speta initially reported the temperature at the Science Garden in Quezon City dropping to 18.4°C, marking the lowest temperature of the year for Metro Manila. But state weather bureau data showed it got even colder on Sunday, recording an official 17.1°C for the station.
Other areas across the country also felt the late-season chill. Based on PAGASA’s top 10 lowest temperatures for March 15, the town of Malaybalay in Bukidnon logged 15.2°C. San Ildefonso in Bulacan reached 16.0°C, while Tanay, Rizal dropped to 16.8°C.
Rounding out the top ten were Casiguran, Aurora (17.2°C), Basco, Batanes (17.5°C), Abucay, Bataan (17.6°C), Tuguegarao City, Cagayan (18.4°C), and Laoag City, Ilocos Norte (18.5°C).
Based on PAGASA’s Sunday afternoon forecast, the northeast monsoon will continue to bring cool mornings and nights heading into Monday, March 16.
But the state weather bureau expects this monsoon to finally weaken by mid-week.
Soon enough, the dry season heat will bounce back. – fyt.ph
