The municipality of Virac in Catanduanes province experienced scorching conditions on Monday, April 14, as its heat index peaked at a blistering 45 degrees Celsius (°C), based on the monitoring of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
This reading was the day’s highest recorded heat index across PAGASA’s monitoring stations nationwide, with 21 others also recording dangerorus levels of heat on the same day.
PAGASA categorizes a heat index between 42°C and 51°C as within the danger level, as it poses significant health risks such as heat cramps and heat exhaustion. Prolonged exposure under such conditions may also lead to heatstroke.
Trailing closely behind Virac were Echague, Isabela and Cavite City, Cavite, each registering a heat index of 44°C.
Other areas that registered similarly dangerous heat index levels, ranging from 42°C to 43°C, include Tuguegarao City, Cagayan (43°C); Olongapo City, Zambales (43°C); Puerto Princesa City, Palawan (43°C); Dumangas, Iloilo (43°C); La Carlota, Negros Occidental (43°C); Baler, Aurora (42°C); Casiguran, Aurora (42°C); Clark, Pampanga (42°C); Muñoz, Nueva Ecija (42°C); San Ildefonso, Bulacan (42°C); Camiling, Tarlac (42°C); Tanauan, Batangas (42°C); Los Baños, Laguna (42°C); San Jose, Occidental Mindoro (42°C); Cuyo, Palawan (42°C); Catarman, Northern Samar (42°C); Guiuan, Eastern Samar (42°C); Musuan, Bukidnon (42°C); and Davao City, Davao del Sur (42°C).
READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2025/3/3/how-pagasa-s-heat-index-reports-help-you-prepare
The heat index, or “apparent temperature,” combines actual air temperature and relative humidity to reflect how hot the surrounding environment feels to the human body.