Get ready for hotter days

By: Aileen Garcia-Yap, Norman V. Mendoza March 27,2016 - 10:34 PM

The Montero family pitches a tent near the swimming area at the Bridge Park. (CDN PHOTO/NORMAN MENDOZA)

The Montero family pitches a tent near the swimming area at the Bridge Park. (CDN PHOTO/NORMAN MENDOZA)

Stay indoors, especially from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and wear clothes in light colors to beat the searing heat.

This was the advice of Pagasa Mactan officer-in-charge Alfredo Quiblat Jr. after temperature rose to 33 degrees Celsius and heat index reached 37 degrees Celsius yesterday.

It was Cebu’s hottest day so far this year, Quiblat said.

“Today’s temperature (yesterday) already surpassed the March 2015 temperature which was 32.6 degrees (Celsius). It was also the start of summer months and the onset of El Niño,” he said.

Cebuanos can expect hotter days until May, normally the hottest month in the country.

Quiblat said the temperature could rise to 34 degrees Celsius in April and 37 degrees Celsius in May. The highest recorded temperatures for these months since 1981 were 34.2 degrees Celsius in April of 2015 and 37 degrees Celsius on May 31, 2010, Quiblat said.

“That (2010) was also an El Niño year,” he said. The country is currently reeling under an El Niño phenomenon.

Quiblat said the maximum time of exposure to the sun’s rays is only 20 minutes.

“Beyond that, you can already develop skin cancer, especially if you go out without protecting your skin from direct sunlight. People go out now for a swim to cool down. That’s good but it’s important to note the 20-minute maximum time exposure,” he said.

He also said people should keep themselves hydrated by drinking lots of liquid and avoiding protein-rich food that heat up the body.

“Also don’t eat too much until you get a full tummy (stomach) as this will also cause more heat to be produced by the body due to metabolism,” he added.

Conserve water, especially since rainfall has fallen below normal levels.

“Below normal meaning we’ll have 20 percent to 60 percent lesser rain than normal. We’ll still have rains but these will be lesser with lesser volume,” Quiblat said.

Rains are expected in June, when Cebu can expect over 100 millimeters of rain.

“For March and April, normal rainfall is only 50 millimeters to 60 millimeters and with the way below normal rate, we could expect very small volume of rain for Cebu within the summer months,” he said.

The heat and the Easter Sunday celebration yesterday have driven hundreds of families to the beach.

For the Montero family of Barangay Opao, Mandaue City, their favorite spot is the Bridge Park, formerly the “Pajara,” below the Marcelo Fernan Bridge.

Flora Montero, 58, said they had to settle for Bridge Park because they didn’t have enough to spend a day at a nice beach resort.

“Lisod kaayo kung daghan mo sa pamilya nga moadto og outing sa layo nga lugar diin nindot og dagat kay gasto kaayo (It’s hard for a big family to go to nice beaches because that is too costly),”  she said.

What’s important, she said, is that the family members are able to eat and laugh together while enjoying the sea breeze.

They pitched a tent and brought food, such as “kinilaw” (raw fish in vinegar and spices), broiled fish and pork as well as a case of beer.

For her family and hundreds of others, it didn’t matter that the swimming area was near the polluted Butuanon River.

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TAGS: Cebu, El Niño, heat, hot, rainfall, Summer, Sun, temperature, water

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