Cebu dry spell: Worst to come in May – PAGASA

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The dry spell in Cebu province, which has caused a drop in  water supply to levels unexpected by authorities, is bound to worsen.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) station in Mactan said the worst will come in May, traditionally the month when the hottest average temperature is recorded in the province every year.

Romeo Aguirre, weather specialist of PAGASA’s Rainfall Warning System Division, advised residents to stay indoors and remain hydrated. He said the extreme heat brought on by the “Mild El Niño” can trigger heatstroke.

Aguirre also reiterated the warning made by the Provincial Agriculture Office for farmers to withhold the planting of seeds until the extreme heat subsides. They expect the rainy season to come in June or July.

“A worst-case scenario shown in other models would predict the El Niño to continue until the end of the year,” Aguirre told Rappler.

On Friday, April 24, PAGASA recorded 33.5 degrees Celsius at 1:45 pm. This is slightly lower than the highest recorded this year for Cebu last April 4 at 33.6 degrees.

Based on PAGASA’s records, the highest temperature recorded in Cebu was on June 12, 1993, at 37.6 degrees. The El Niño that affected Cebu in 2010 recorded also a high temperature on May 31, 2010, at 37 degrees celsius.

“May will be the hottest. Mo saka pa gyud na ang atong temperature (Our temperature will still rise),” Aguirre said.

The weather specialist said the daily temperature every 9 am since March 2015 averaged 30 degrees. At this time of the day, residents are already asked to stay indoors. The lowest temperature at night is only 26 degrees.

During the dry and cold weather last December, morning temperatures at
9 am posted lower readings at 27 to 28 degrees.

However, Aguirre said the phenomenon is still described as Mild El Niño or weak El Niño based on the sea surface anomaly data, which is a rise of only 0.5 degrees.

A new advisory from PAGASA is expected in May. It is in this announcement where it will be known if the dry spell will continue until the end of the year.

“Mao nga mag tipid gyud sa kita sa tubig (That’s why we should really conserve water), and stay hydrated at the same time,” Aguirre said. 

The PAGASA forecast either one or two typhoons in May, but this is not
an assurance of a better weather. Storms and typhoons could last a few days, but the dry spell will resume after. – Rappler.com