Christmas chill begins in Baguio, Benguet

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Residents and tourists in this city and across Benguet have begun bracing for the highland chill with Christmas just around the corner.

On Friday, temperature in the country’s summer capital dipped to 14.4 degrees Celsius from Thursday’s 15.5 degrees Celsius.

Early Friday morning, the city’s inhabitants woke up to a chilling 10 degrees, the lowest recorded this season.

It is expected to get colder in this tourist city as Christmas approaches. The highland chill, a magnet to visitors, is expected to prevail until March next year.

On Feb.17 last year, temperature here reached 10 degrees Celcius. The highlands recorded their lowest temperature on Jan.18, 1961 at 6.3 degrees Celsius.

In January 2019, state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said temperature in Baguio City reached seven degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, PAGASA’s Agromet Station at the Benguet State University compound in La Trinidad recorded the lowest temperature in the Benguet capital early Friday morning at 14.1 degrees Celsius from Thursday’s 13.7 degrees Celsius.

PAGASA’s Benguet Radar Station at Mount Santo Tomas in Tuba, Benguet recorded the lowest temperature at 12.7 degrees from 12.5 degrees Celcius on Thursday.