Residents in Metro Manila on Wednesday went through the hottest day so far this year at 35.5 degrees Celsius, even as state weather forecasters warned of hotter days until at least mid-May.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) noted this came just one week after Metro Manila went through 34.5-degree heat. [See: Wednesday warmest day of the year; hotter times ahead].
Earlier, Pagasa said that with the El Niño phenomenon threatening the coming summer, 40-degree weather in some parts of the country may be possible.
Last week, it was reported that damage from the El Niño-induced drought has reached P3.7 billion as of Feb. 17, but the number could go as high as P7 billion.
The dry spell has also been blamed for the looming power crisis in the Visayas and Mindanao, where dams have reached dangerously low levels. [See: El Niño, lack of govt support blamed for Mindanao energy crisis]
Pagasa weather bureau head Nathaniel Cruz said that in Metro Manila, temperatures may go up to 36 or 37 degrees, enough to cause extreme discomfort.
The hottest temperature recorded in the Philippines was in Tuguegarao in Cagayan province on April 29, 1912.


