‘Slightly warmer temperatures this season’

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said yesterday slightly warmer temperatures will continue to be felt in many parts of the country this Christmas season.

“Based on our analysis of weather charts and other tools, the slightly warmer weather was due to the fast movement of high pressure cell from mainland China and Siberia, where the northeast monsoon that brings cold weather to the country comes from,” Robert Sawi, PAGASA weather division chief, told The STAR.

The northeast monsoon brings cold weather to the Philippines from November to February.

“We have an immature northeast monsoon because of the fast movement of high pressure cell coming from the mainland. The northeast monsoon moves to the east and converges with the easterly wind – warm air from the sea, that’s why we are experiencing warm and humid weather,” Sawi said.

“This means that the northeast monsoon is still strong but the wind system prevailing in the country now is modified instead of pure continental,” he added.

“I think this is abnormal, but I still don’t know the reason,” Sawi said.

He, however, said temperatures are expected to drop during the latter part of December or early January.

PAGASA recorded the coldest temperature in Baguio City so far this year at 12.5 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

Sawi also refused to attribute the warm weather condition to the El Niño-like condition reported in the country several months ago.

In a recent interview, PAGASA senior weather specialist Anthony Lucero said China is currently experiencing a warm winter.

“The Christmas season in the Philippines will be warmer than last year,” he said.

Unlike Sawi, Lucero said the warm weather in China and the Philippines was due to the warmer sea surface temperatures monitored in the Pacific Ocean in the middle of 2012.