Spring equinox on Thursday to usher in longer days of hot season

The low pressure area that has replaced tropical cyclone Chedeng is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Thursday, meteorologist Nathaniel "Mang Tani" Cruz said in a report on 24 Oras on Wednesday.

According to Mang Tani, Metraweather's wind map shows that the LPA will make its way out of the PAR soon.  

However, there will still be some rain in southern Palawan, while Mindoro Oriental might also experience some rain in the afternoon.

Cloudy skies over Metro Manila are expected, with only a small chance of rain, as the National Capital Region will see an "init factor" of 36 degrees Celsius.

The vernal equinox

Mang Tani also noted that Thursday, March 21, 2019, is also the day of the vernal or spring equinox.

An equinox occurs when the sun passes directly over the equator. When this happens, the Earth's axis is not tilted away from or towards the sun, resulting in a day that is approximately as long as the night.

After the equinox, Earth continues its tilt and the hemisphere that is tilted towards the sun sees longer days, while the hemisphere tilted away from the sun gets longer nights.

In the northern hemisphere (where the Philippines is, because it is just north of the equator), the March equinox will lead to longer days and shorter nights as the hot season approaches. — BM, GMA News