Frost covers Benguet veggies as temperature drops to 8 Celsius

by Harley Palangchao
Headlines, 1/9/2011

BENGUET The mercury level in higher elevations in this province dropped to eight degrees Celsius
Tuesday morning just as thousands of tourists are excited to experience the Baguio chill.

Still unknown to many, the temperature in vegetable farm areas in Benguet like the towns of Atok,
Kibungan, and Buguias, including Cada in Mankayan, are two to three degrees Celsius colder than Baguio
during cold season.

Benguet provincial agriculturist Lolita Bentrez confirmed in a phone interview that the temperature
monitored in Paoay, Atok was eight degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning when Baguios mercury level
that same day dropped to 9.8 degrees Celsius.

Bentrez, however, clarified that there was no reported massive damages to vegetables due to frost
locally known as andap because many farmers harvested ahead during the Christmas and New Year
holidays.

Many farmers have anticipated the possible occurrence of frost. They were able to adopt measures
how to mitigate the effects of cold temperature particularly the occurrence of frost, Bentrez said.

She said that frost usually occur in areas in Benguet where there is a very slow wind circulation.

With the Halsema Highway, the main artery to the northern highlands already paved, tourists can have a
side trip to the highest point in Sayangan, Atok to experience colder temperature. Travel is more or less
two hours from Baguio City.

Mountaineers and hikers have also signified intention to hike Mount Pulag, the highest peak in Luzon at
2,922 meters above sea level, to experience possibly the coldest temperature in the country during this
season.

In Baguio, weather specialist Engr. Danny Galate said in a phone interview that cold temperature is
expected to be experienced until the third week of January while cold weather could also occur between
the second week and third week of February.

Galate explained the cold weather is brought about by the northeast monsoon wind coming from
mainland China, which recorded negative degrees Celsius last month.

Cold weather in Baguio and Benguet started to be felt by residents and tourists last December when
temperature dropped to 12.2 degrees Celsius on Dec. 26, 2010 while the lowest recorded in Benguet
last month was 10 degrees Celsius.

It was last Jan. 15, 2009, when Pagasa reported the mercury level dipped to its lowest 7.5 degrees
Celsius, the lowest after 23 years after Pagasa reported the temperature here dropped to 6.8 degrees
Celsius in 1986.
Baguio, over the past decades, recorded a dropped in the mercury level in the months of January and
February or even the month of March. The lowest temperature recorded in modern-day Baguio was 6.3
degrees Celsius on Jan. 18, 1961.

In March 1986, the citys temperature was recorded at its lowest of 9.1 degrees Celsius; at 9.3 degrees
in March 1972 and even lowers 7.4 in March 1963. The highest temperature recorded in Baguio was
30.4 degrees Celsius on March 15, 1988.

Frost usually forms when a surface cools through loss of infrared radiation to a temperature
which is colder than the dewpoint of the air next to the surface, AND the temperature of that
surface is below freezing (32 deg F, or 0 deg. C). The source of this moisture is water vapor
contained in the air.