Dagupan City sizzles in 55°C heat index

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines — People flocked to Pangasinan beaches yesterday not only to celebrate the annual Pista’y Dayat or Sea Festival, but also to chill after this city registered a heat index of 55 degrees Celsius.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the 55 degrees Celsius heat index, the highest so far this year, was recorded at 2 p.m.

“For now, this is the highest heat index recorded in the province this year,” the Pangasinan provincial disaster risk reduction management office said in a post on social media. “The maximum temperature was recorded at 35.2°C and humidity at 76 percent.”

The public was advised to drink water frequently and avoid becoming dehydrated as chances of heat stroke were high.

Yesterday’s heat index was higher than the figure recorded on April 22, which was 54.39 degrees Celsius, PAGASA said.

Heat index is the combined effect felt by the human body from the actual temperature and the accompanying humidity.

PAGASA said high air temperatures and high relative humidity give apparent high temperatures or indices.

Full exposure to sunshine can increase the heat index by eight degrees Celsius.

On Saturday, Dagupan registered a heat index of 50 degrees Celsius.

On the same day, the town of Aparri in Cagayan and Laoag City in Ilocos Norte registered heat indices of 46 and 44 degress Celsius, respectively.

Dagupan logged a maximum temperature of 33.1 degrees Celsius, which combined with a relative humidity of 83 percent and resulted in a heat index of 50 degrees Celsius.

Aparri logged a temperature of 33.3 degrees Celsius and relative humidity of 74 percent, which resulted in a heat index of 46 degrees Celsius.

Laoag’s temperature of 34.1 degrees Celsius and relative humidity of 64 percent resulted in a heat index of 44 degrees Celsius.

Also on Saturday, a heat index of 42 degrees Celsius was registered both in Masbate City in Masbate and at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City.

Baguio was not in its usual chill as it logged a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, which when combined with a relative humidity of 73 percent resulted in a heat index of 25 degrees Celsius. – Michael Punongbayan