A man showers with a hose during hot weather in Manila on April 28, 2024. The Philippines will suspend in-person classes in all public schools for two days due to extreme heat and a nationwide strike by jeepney drivers, the education department said on April 28. (Photo by Earvin Perias / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Unusually hot weather in the Philippines was expected to last until mid-May, a forecaster said Sunday, after the temperature hit a record high in the capital Manila.
Extreme heat has scorched Southeast Asia in recent days, prompting thousands of schools to suspend in-person classes and authorities to issue health warnings.
In the Philippines, many people flocked to air-conditioned shopping malls and swimming pools for relief from the relentless heat.
READ: 鈥楽o hot you can鈥檛 breathe鈥�: Extreme heat hits the Philippines
鈥淭his is the hottest I鈥檝e ever experienced here,鈥� said Nancy Bautista, 65, whose resort in Cavite province was fully booked due to the hot weather.
鈥淢any of our guests are friends and families. They swim in the pool to fight the heat.鈥�
The temperature in Manila hit a record high of 38.8 degrees Celsius (101.8 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday with the heat index reaching 45C, data from the state weather forecaster showed.
READ: First COVID, now heat: Online schooling returns to PH
The heat index measures what a temperature feels like, taking into account humidity.
The months of March, April and May are typically the hottest and driest time of the year, but this year鈥檚 conditions have been exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon.
鈥淎ll places in the country, not necessarily just Metro Manila, are expected to have hotter temperatures until the second week of May,鈥� Glaiza Escullar of the state weather forecaster told AFP.
鈥淭here is a possibility that the areas will exceed those temperatures being measured today until the second week of May.鈥�
Camiling municipality in Tarlac province, north of Manila, recorded a temperature of 40.3C on Saturday 鈥� the country鈥檚 highest this year.
As the mercury rose, Gerise Reyes, 31, planned to take her two-year-old daughter to a shopping mall near Manila.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hot here at home. This is the hottest I鈥檝e ever experienced especially between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e need a free aircon to cut our electricity bill.鈥�
Global temperatures hit record highs last year, and the United Nations鈥� weather and climate agency said Tuesday that Asia was warming at a particularly rapid pace.
The Philippines ranks among the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.