ShareThisCEBU CITY – It maybe a rainy Christmas season for the Philippines.
This as at least four more typhoons are likely to hit the Philippines before the year ends, according to the weather bureau.
Engineer Oscar Tabada, chief weather specialist of Pag-asa’s Mactan Cebu station, said there is high probability of typhoon striking the country during the days leading up to Christmas, with only 11 typhoons hitting the country so far this year.
So far, weathermen have not detected any storm formation.
Tabada said recent weather forecasts have showed a drop in temperature, suggesting the onset of the Christmas season.
He said the average temperature for November was 27.8 degrees Celsius. It will drop to 27.2 degrees Celsius in December and 27 degrees Celsius in January.
He said the northeast monsoon, or amihan, which carries cold air from northern China, causes the drop in temperature. He said it will linger until March.
With the drop in temperature, people may be prone to flu and influenza, said Dr. Enrique Sancho, head of the communicable diseases section of the Department of Health 7.
”Flu is common during wet seasons, Influenza is also common when there’s sudden change of temperature,” he said.
He said a person with flu or influenza should stay at home and take lots of fluids.
He also warned the public against indulging
too much in alcohol and food with high cholesterol during Christmas celebrations.
Tabada said this year’s Christmas season will be warmer. He attributed this to global warming or the increase in the average temperature of Earth’s near-surface air and oceans.
Aside from colder weather, another phenomenon that characterizes the Christmas season is shorter days and longer nights.
The phenomenon, called winter solstice, started last September 24 and will have its peak on December 22, when the night will be longest, said Tabada.