No relief from summer heat

Sorry folks, no sign of relief yet from the scorching heat everyone is complaining about, with the thermometers registering 35 degrees Centigrade at 1:50 yesterday afternoon — just a notch lower than the 36 degrees Centigrade recorded Monday.

According to weathermen at the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the heat wave will continue for as long as the high pressure area affecting the prevailing weather system remains in place.

The presence of the high pressure area makes for the cloudless sky, permitting solar radiation to directly hit the earth’s surface and bring about a temperature range of a minimum of 24 degrees Centigrade to a maximum 36 degrees Centigrade, weathermen explained.

How high can the temperature rise? PAGASA weathermen said a high of 38.5 degrees Centigrade was reported on May 14, 1987 at the Science Garden in Quezon City. Higher still was the temperature of 38.6 degrees Centigrade registered on May 17, 1915 in Port Area, Manila.

Relief will come near the end of next month or the first weeks of June, when the southwest winds begin to blow. The change of wind flow brings with it thunderstorms, monsoon rains and flash-floods — but that is another story.