Several parts of the country continue to experience hot weather as 16 monitoring stations registered above 40 degrees Celsius (°C) heat index on Friday, June 4.
The heat index is the measurement of how hot it feels when relative humidity is factored in with the actual air temperature.
Data from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) showed that the day's highest heat index of 47°C was registered in Baler, Aurora and Casiguran, Aurora.
A heat index above 40℃ is considered "dangerous" due to the high likelihood of heat cramps and heat exhaustion.
Here are the other stations that registered above 40°C heat index on Friday: Alabat, Quezon (46℃); Clark Airport, Pampanga (45℃); Infanta, Quezon (45℃); Dagupan City, Pangasinan (44℃); Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Pasay City (44℃); Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur (44℃); Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte (43℃); Tuguegarao City, Cagayan (43℃); El Salvador, Misamis Oriental (42℃); Puerto Princesa City, Palawan (42℃); Sangley Point, Cavite (42℃); Cotabato City, Maguindanao (41℃); Davao City, Davao del Sur (41℃); and Science Garden, Quezon City (41℃).
So far, the highest heat index in 2021 was 53℃ recorded in Dagupan City, Pangasinan on May 14.
On Friday, PAGASA officially declared the onset of the rainy season in the country.
It said that there is a "high" probability of "near to above normal" rainfall conditions in the next two months, from June to July.
However, PAGASA pointed out that breaks in rainfall events, also known as monsoon breaks, which can last for several days or weeks, may still occur.