But PAGASA says it’s still not a heat wave despite sizzling temps
At least 44 areas across the country will have dangerous heat index today (Saturday), the state weather bureau said, with Dagupan City in Pangasinan forecast to sizzle at 48°C.
Based on the computed two-day forecast of PAGASA as of 5 p.m. Friday, at least 10 locations will experience a heat index ranging from 44°C to 46°C, including parts of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Cagayan, Zambales, Cavite, Palawan, Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Capiz, and Eastern Samar.
Temperatures in Metro Manila this weekend, meanwhile, will remain in the low 40s with Pasay City at 43°C and Quezon City at 42°C, according to the state weather bureau.
However, despite the heat index reaching dangerous levels in many areas, PAGASA said the country is not yet experiencing a heat wave.
In an interview on Dobol B TV on Friday, PAGASA’s Joey Figuracion said a heat wave occurs when the temperature exceeds the average maximum temperature by 5°C for three to five consecutive days.
“What is normal for us? For example, if there is a temperature of 25°C, that is our normal, or let’s say 30°C. Now if our maximum temperature exceeds about 5°C for three to five consecutive days, that means we are already experiencing heat wave,” he said.
“Right now, we don’t have anything like that, although this is really the time of the year when we really experience humid and hot or high temperatures,” he added.
In Metro Manila, Figuracion said the average temperature is around 34 to 35°C, while the recent temperature recorded in PAGASA’s Science Garden weather studio in Quezon City was around 37.8°C.
Heat temperatures are different from the heat index, which is the measure of the temperature that a person feels and is computed by factoring in the humidity and the air temperature.
Various groups on Friday marched to Mendiola under the extreme heat to urge the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare a national climate emergency in response to the ongoing El Niño and worsening impacts of climate change.
The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) led the rally, which included organizations like the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED), Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Sanlakas, Oriang, SPARK, and agricultural sector members.
PMCJ Luzon coordinator Erwin Puhawan called out the national government for its inaction “despite losses reported across the country.”
“Nearly 100 municipalities have declared a state of calamity because of the El Niño, but the Marcos administration has not yet acknowledged this emergency on a national level. We need that declaration to be the basis of our disaster response,” Puhawan said.
“We don’t need to wait to lose more crops and for more people to starve before we act,” he added.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “PAGASA warns of 48-degree heat in Dagupan City this weekend.”