CEBU CITY, Philippines — Despite partly cloudy skies welcoming start of classes for public schools on Monday, June 3, students and parents are still advised to bring umbrellas, stay away from the sun and to stay hydrated as temperatures are still likely to rise within the week.
Romeo Aguirre, weather specialist of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in Mactan, said chances of light to moderate rains would be high in the afternoon and early evening.
Aguirre said the Intertropical Convergent Zone (ITCZ) would be bringing the partly cloudy weather, although it would be expected to dissipate later in the week.
“So far, partly cloudy to cloudy [skies] ang atong masinati. Fair weather siya pero dunay chances of isolated rains in the afternoon or in the evening,” Aguirre said.
Read more: Pagasa: Rainy season may start mid of June but effects of El Niño could last until August
Aguirre, however, said that the air temperature in the next five days, June 3 to June 7, would still range between 26 to 24 degrees Celsius and heat index of up to 44 degrees Celsius.
Last week, Pagasa recorded the highest temperature on May 28 at 34.7 degrees Celsius.
The heat index on this day peaked at 44 degrees Celsius.
Aguirre said the easterlies was still prevailing in the Visayas and that there still had been no trace of the entry of the rainy season.
Pagasa, on their May 22 climate forum, estimated that the rainy season would begin in the middle of June.
However, the effects of the prevailing weak El Niño has a 70 percent probability of staying until the end of August./dbs