- Cabanatuan City experienced the highest heat index recorded this year at 52°C
- This was just three degrees shy from “Extreme Danger” level of human discomfort due to heat
- PAGASA advised the public to drink plenty of water and to take extra precaution from the heat
Residents in Cabanatuan City in the province of Nueva Ecija experienced the highest heat index recorded this year so far at 52 degrees Celsius.
On April 12, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) noted that although ground-level temperatures in the city reached only 36.7 degrees Celsius, relative humidity recorded at 63 percent brought the heat index to more than half the boiling point.
The heat index refers to the “human discomfort index that gives the “apparent” temperature or what human perceive or feel as the temperature affecting their body. High air temperatures and high relative humidity will give high apparent temperatures or indices. Full exposure to sunshine can increase the heat index by 9°C,” explains PAGASA on its official website.
The high heat index in Cabanatuan was just three degrees short of reaching “Extreme Danger” level, wherein the threat of heat strokes increases immensely.
Aside from Cabanatuan, Clark in Pampanga and Sangley Point in Cavite experienced heat index that reached above 50 degrees.
Of the 53 PAGASA weather stations throughout the country, 14 recorded a heat index that reached the “Danger Level” wherein heat stroke becomes “probable” and heat exhaustion becomes more likely.
Meanwhile, 36 weather stations, including the Science Garden in Quezon City, recorded a heat discomfort index that reached levels of “Extreme Caution.”
Due to the extremely high temperatures across the country, the state weather bureau advised the public to take extra precaution under these circumstances.
PAGASA advises people to stay indoors as much as possible and to wear lightweight and light colored clothing.
They also emphasized the importance of regularly drinking plenty of water. PAGASA says that water is the safest liquid to drink under the extreme heat while warning people to stay away from liquor because it dehydrates the body.
Moreover, the public is also advised to eat small meals and avoid foods that are high in protein as they can increase metabolic heat.
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