Hot spots

The dry season has not yet started, but after a monsoon-induced cool weekend, hot weather is expected this week, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

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Earlier this month, classes were suspended in many schools while others shifted to remote learning modes as PAGASA warned of extremely high heat index — how the body perceives the combined temperature and humidity in shaded areas.

As the country experiences many weeks of high heat and humidity during the dry season, however, class suspensions cannot be the default response to high heat index warnings. The academic year is just starting to be moved back to the pre-pandemic calendar, whose opening coincides with the onset of the wet season.