GOVERNMENT weather watcher Pagasa has just confirmed what you’ve probably thought during this extremely sweaty day: Today, April 22, was the year’s hottest on record so far.
The mercury on today’s heat index — or the temperature perceived by the human body — hit a wilting 42 degrees Celsius at 1:50 p.m. today, as recorded by instruments in the Science Garden in Quezon City.
“Pinakamataas so far this year,” confirmed weather forecaster Lorie Dela Cruz in a phone interview with ABS-CBN.
The actual temperature stood at 35.2 degrees. But because of atmosphere’s 51 percent relative humidity, it felt seven degrees hotter, since sweat is slower to evaporate when the air is choked with moisture.
Heat indexes of 41 to 54 degrees Celsius are classified as dangerous, because we become more prone to heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and even heat stroke if we’re doing physical activity.
However, the extreme humidity might be a sign of good news: the DOST is forecasting isolated rainshowers and mild winds over Metro Manila and the Southern Tagalog regions tonight, according to a forecast released at 5:00 p.m today.
In times of hot temperatures, Pagasa advises staying indoors after lunch, avoiding physical activity, and constant hydration.
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