Dangerously hot weather: Heat index could reach 45 to 46°C this weekend

Get ready for another sizzling weekend, with heat index values likely to hit a scorching 45 to 46 degrees Celsius (°C), especially in Dagupan City, Pangasinan, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Friday, April 12.

On Saturday, April 13, PAGASA said Dagupan City may experience a heat index of 45°C, followed by Aparri, Cagayan, with 44°C.

Meanwhile, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte; Tuguegarao City, Cagayan; Puerto Princesa City, Palawan; Aborlan, Palawan; Masbate City, Masbate; Pili, Camarines Sur; and Catarman, Northern Samar, may have a heat index of 42°C.

On Sunday, April 14, PAGASA said Dagupan City’s heat index may hit 46°C, while Aparri, Cagayan’s heat index may reach 44°C.

Meanwhile, a 43°C heat index may be recorded in Tuguegarao City and Catarman, Northern Samar.

More areas may also register a heat index of 42°C on Sunday.

These are Bacnotan, La Union; Echague, Isabela; Puerto Princesa City; Aborlan, Palawan; Masbate City; Pili, Camarines Sur; Roxas City; Iloilo City; Cotabato City, Maguindanao; and Butuan City, Agusan del Norte.

PAGASA said a heat index of 42°C to 51°C falls within the “danger” category because “heat exhaustion and cramps are likely,” and “heat stroke is probable with continued activity.”

Meanwhile, a heat index of 52°C or higher indicates “extreme danger,” which means “heat stroke is imminent.”

PAGASA defines the heat index as the measurement of how hot it feels when relative humidity is combined with the actual air temperature.

It recorded the country’s highest heat index so far this year of 48°C in Roxas City, Capiz, on March 27.

— Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz