Metro Manila experiences coldest temperature so far this year at 16.9° C

Residents in Metro Manila woke up shivering to a very cold Saturday morning as temperatures fell to a record-low 16.9 degrees Celsius.

PAGASA forecaster Manny Mendoza said temperatures fell below 17 degrees Celsius at 6:20 a.m., state-run Philippines News Agency reported.

"Ngayong araw ang pinakamababang temperaturang naitala ngayong [panahon ng] Amihan (We recorded the coldest temperature due to the northeast monsoon so far)," PAGASA forecaster Glaiza Escullar added on government-run dzRB radio.

She said the cold weather may continue until the last week of February or up to the second week of March.



Also, Escullar said PAGASA is tracking a low-pressure area that she said may the Philippine area of responsibility this coming week.

"Inaasahang papasok ito by Wednesday," she said but added it has a low chance of becoming a cyclone at this time.

Mendoza was quoted in the PNA report as saying Saturday's record-low was recorded at the Science Garden in Diliman in Quezon City.

This was lower than the 17.5° C, which as of last Jan. 18 was the coldest so far this year.

However, the PNA said the record-low temperature in Metro Manila was 15.1 degrees Celsius on Feb. 4, 1987 and Dec. 30, 1988.

In Baguio City, the PNA report quoted Mendoza as saying temperatures fell to 9.5 degrees Celsius at 6:10 a.m.

Baguio City's lowest temperature so far this year was last Jan. 19, at 8.1 degrees Celsius.

Earlier, PAGASA forecaster Meno Mendoza said on dzBB radio the low temperatures may last until mid-February due to the northeast monsoon. — LBG, GMA News