The cooler temperatures and northern winds whipping across most of Cambodia should continue throughout the middle of the week, according to the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology.
However, warmer weather is expected to return before the weekend, a ministry official added.
Seth Vannareth, director of the ministry’s meteorology department, said a high-pressure system that has cooled the country as well as other parts of Southeast Asia will blanket the area until Thursday. Afterward, temperatures, currently hovering near 23 degrees Celsius during the afternoon in Phnom Penh, will likely return to normal.
“We’ll be warmer then compare to what we are now,” Seth Vannareth said, adding that no new temperature records have been set. “It’s difficult to say that [the current weather] is normal weather.”
Winds blowing from the north at average speeds of 18 kph have also contributed to the mild temperatures and will likely continue throughout the week.
Mondolkiri Provincial Governor Lay Sokna said the weather in his eastern province turned very cold last Wednesday, forcing residents to don more clothing.
“People are wearing socks, gloves and sweaters to protect themselves from the cold weather. It is about 17 to 18 degrees Celsius in the afternoon and…cooler at night.”
In Phnom Penh Sunday morning, temperatures ranged from a low of 19 degrees Celsius and reached a high of 25 degrees during the late afternoon.
Chey Sayoeun, deputy governor of Ratanakkiri province, said the chilly weather has kept most people indoors and has been particularly difficult for newcomers to the area and the elderly.
“It was very cold last night. The weather was 14 [degrees Celsius] so no one wanted to go out.”
He estimated Ratanakkiri has been under the cold snap for the past 10 days.
Seth Vannareth said the weather could once again grow cooler toward the end of January.
