The sizzling heat continued to grapple parts of the country with heat index values reaching a dangerous level in eight monitoring stations on Monday, May 3.
Based on the monitoring of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the stations with high heat index levels recorded on Monday were located in Dagupan City, Pangasinan (46 degrees Celsius); Sangley Point, Cavite (45 degrees Celsius); NAIA, Pasay City (43 degrees Celsius); San Jose, Occidental Mindoro (43 degrees Celsius); Iba, Zambales (42 degrees Celsius); El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental (42 degrees Celsius); Laoag City, Ilocos Norte (41 degrees Celsius); and Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte (41 degrees Celsius).
The heat index is the measurement of how hot it feels when relative humidity is factored in with the actual air temperature.
A heat index between 41 degrees Celsius and 54 degrees Celsius is under what the PAGASA considers as "danger" level due to the high likelihood of heat cramps and heat exhaustion.
Meanwhile, PAGASA's Science Garden monitoring station in Quezon City registered a heat index of 39 degrees Celsius at around 2 p.m.
A heat index between 32 and 40 degrees Celsius falls under "extreme caution" due to possible heat cramps and heat exhaustion while continuing activity could result in heatstroke.
The highest heat index so far in 2021 was recorded in Dagupan City, Pangasinan on April 6 at 49 degrees Celsius.
The warm and humid weather across most parts of the country could be attributed to the prevailing easterly winds originating from the Pacific Ocean.