The “ber”months in Baguio are usually the coldest. Starting September, residents look out for a sudden drop in temperature which usually extends all throughout February. On Friday morning, the Office of Civil Defense-Cordillera says the mercury level in the City of Pines reached 12.5 degrees Celsius. OCD-Cordillera gives some tips on how to counter this algid weather.
In January 2016, Baguio hit 9.8 degrees Celsius. Just when people thought it was the lowest, the City reached another low hitting 7.3 degrees Celsius in February 2016. On the same month, the temperature dropped to -3 degrees Celsius at the highest point in the Philippine Highway System in Atok Benguet. This had a ‘winter effect’ on the crops as vegetables were covered in frost.
Baguio City gets colder, reaches 12.5 degrees Celsius
On Dec 13, Wednesday, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD)-Cordillera started to report a change in temperature. At 5 am on that day, the temperature was recorded at 15 degrees Celsius. This was according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Baguio Synoptic Station as seen in the post on Facebook.
On Dec 14, another drop in temperature was recorded at 14.2 degrees Celsius which was also taken around 5 am in the morning.
On Dec 15, Friday, the mercury level in the City dips further to 12.5 degrees Celsius which was recorded at 6 am.
In Baguio City, the lowest recorded temperature in history was on January 18, 1961. At that time, the mercury dropped to 6.3 degrees Celsius.
OCD advised residents to counter the algid weather. Dress warmly and make sure you have a wind resistant outer layer. Always keep your face warm with a scarf, neck tube or facemask. Wear warm and waterproof footwear. Make sure that your body’s extremities like ears, nose, fingers, and toes are well protected and are kept warm as these are the parts of the body that lose heat the fastest.