Los Baños, Laguna topped the list of hottest areas in the country on Tuesday, April 15, with a heat index reaching a dangerous 50 degrees Celsius (°C), based on the monitoring of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
This was the highest heat index recorded nationwide on Tuesday, with 16 other areas also hitting danger levels.
PAGASA defines 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.
Following Los Baños, San Ildefonso, Bulacan recorded a heat index of 48°C.
Tarlac City, Tarlac; Cavite City, Cavite; Tanauan, Batangas; Pili, Camarines, Sur; and Catarman, Northern Samar, all logged a heat index of 44°C.
Other areas that registered similarly dangerous heat index levels, ranging from 42°C to 43°C, include Echague, Isabela (43°C); Baler, Aurora (43°C); Pasay City, Metro Manila (42°C); Iba, Zambales (42°C); Clark, Pampanga (42°C); Coron, Palawan (42°C); San Jose, Occidental Mindoro (42°C); Roxas City, Capiz (42°C); Iloilo City, Iloilo (42°C); and Dumangas, Iloilo (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.