"Whenever I see girls and boys Selling lanterns on the streets I remember the Child In the manger as He sleeps”
Thus, the first few lines of iconic singer Jose Mari Chan’s Christmas in our Hearts declare. And we expect these to resonate throughout the country as the so-called “ber” months start today, September 1.
And what better to also set the tone for the unofficial start of the Yuletide season than to feel the cold, nippy air for the last four months of 2021.
Indeed, the “brrrr” season is also here.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Filipinos may feel the chill during the “ber” months in the last quarter of 2021, and even until the early months of 2022.
The Christmas breeze may begin by end of October or early November during the onset of the cold weather-associated northeast monsoon or "amihan" season.
PAGASA's Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section chief Ana Liza Solis said temperature forecast will range between "near-average and above-average" over most areas from September 2021 to February 2022.
"Some areas in Mimaropa (Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) are cooler or slightly cooler . Pagdating ng February, nakikita natin na andiyan din po ang kalamigan sa (By February, we can see that the cold weather will prevail in the) mountainous areas of Luzon including some areas in Visayas. Slightly cooler to cooler than average are expected," Solis said during the climate outlook forum on Aug. 25.
"Ganyan din po sa January, slightly cooler than average ang temperature sa (Similarly in January, the temperatures will be slightly cooler than average in the) mountainous areas of Luzon," she added.
Based on its climatological record, PAGASA forecasts that minimum temperatures in the mountainous areas of Luzon may dip to as low as 8.3 degrees Celsius to 8.9 degrees Celsius in January and February 2022.
Minimum temperatures are usually recorded during the early months of the year, which coincides with the "peak" of the cold northeast monsoon.