CLIMATE OF THE

PHILIPPINES
Prepared by :
ARCHT. JEYCARTER A TILOY, UAP

TROPICAL DESIGN
 CLIMATE OF THE PHILIPPINES
Climate of the Philippines is either tropical rainforest, tropical
savanna tropical monsoon, or humid subtropical (in higher-altitude
areas) characterized by relatively high temperature, oppressive
humidity and plenty of rainfall. There are two seasons in the country,
the wet season and the dry season, based upon the amount of
rainfall.This is dependent as well on your location in the country as
some areas experience rain all throughout the year. Based on
temperature, the seven warmest months of the year are from March
to October; the winter monsoon brings cooler air from November to
February. May is the warmest month, and January, the coolest.

Weather in the Philippines is monitored and managed by the

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (known locally by its acronym, PAGASA)
Climatic controls that influence the climate in the Philippines
• geography and topography – large hilly terrain, and coastal plains
• semi-permanent lows and highs – produces airstreams /ocean currents
• air streams
- southwesterlies (SW monsoon)- Apr-Sep
- northeasterlies (NE monsoon) –Oct- Mar
- easterlies (North Pacific trades) – transition period
• ocean currents = SST average 27.4C Phil. Sea • influenced by complex
interactions
• linear systems
- ITCZ • rainfall variability
- cold front
• threatened by ECEs
- easterly waves
• various sectors affected
• tropical cyclones
•Devastating impacts could be mitigated
• ENSO phenomenon through clear understanding of the
complex mechanisms and dev’t of
effective forecast tools.
Weather Causing Phenomena in the Philippines

NORTHEAST
MONSOON
(AMIHAN)

TROPICAL
CYCLONE

L
L L
L
SOUTHWEST INTERTROPICAL
MONSOON CONVERGENCE
(HABAGAT) ZONE (ITCZ)
 ITCZ L ITCZ L
ITCZ
L ITCZ
L

ANIMATED SATELLITE PICTURES OF A COLD FRONT (TAIL-END)

AFFECTING EXTREME NORTHERN LUZON) AND ITCZ AFFECTING
SOUTHERN LUZON, VISAYAS AND MINDANAO
 CLIMATE TYPES
 There are four recognized climate
types in the Philippines, and they are
based on the distribution of
rainfall (See the Philippine Climate
Map). They are described as follows:
 Type I. Two pronounced seasons: dry
from November to April and wet during
the rest of the year.
 Type II. No dry season with a
pronounced rainfall from November to
January.
 Type III. Seasons are not very
pronounced, relatively dry from
November to April, and wet during the
rest of the year.
 Type IV. Rainfall is more or less
evenly distributed throughout the year.
Two pronounced
seasons: dry from
November to April
and wet during the
rest of the year.
The regions located
on the western
part of Luzon,
Mindoro, Negros
and Palawan.
No dry season; with a
very pronounced
maximum rain period
from November to
April. Regions that
have type II climate
are Catanduanes,
Sorsogon, eastern
Albay, eastern and
northern Camarines
Norte and Camarines
Sur, eastern Mindanao,
eastern Quezon and
Samar.
Seasons are not very
pronounced; relatively dry
from November to April
and wet during the rest of
the year. The regions with
this type of climate are the
western parts of Cagayan,
Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, the
eastern portion of the
Mountain Provinces,
Southern Quezon,
Masbate, Romblon,
Northeast Panay,
EasternNegros, Central and
Southern Cebu, part of
Northern Mindanao, and
part of Eastern Palawan.
Rainfall more or less
evenly distributed
throughout the year. The
regions with this type of
climate are Batanes,
North-eastern Luzon,
South-western Camarines
Norte, Western
Camarines Sur and Albay,
Bondoc Peninsula, Eastern
Mindoro, Marinduque,
Western Leyte, Northen
Cebu, Bohol and most of
central, eastern and
southern Mindanao.
TEMPERATURE
The average year-round temperature measured from all the weather
stations in the Philippines, except Baguio City, is 26.6 °C (79.9 °F).
Cooler days are usually felt in the month of January with temperature
averaging at 25.5 °C (77.9 °F) and the warmest days, in the month of
May with a mean of 28.3 °C (82.9 °F).[1] Elevation factors significantly
in the variation of temperature in the Philippines. In Baguio City, with an
elevation of 1,500 m (5,000 ft) above sea level, the mean average is
18.3 °C (64.9 °F) or cooler by about 4.3 °C (15 °F). In 1915, a one-year
study was conducted by William H. Brown of the Philippine Journal of
Science on top of Mount Banahaw at 2,100 m. (6,900 ft) elevation. The
mean temperature measured was 18.6 °C (65.5 °F), a difference of 10
deg C (18 deg F) from the lowland mean temperature
What factors affect the average
temperature in a given place?
1. The amount of solar radiation received
from the sun is determined by two factors: (a)
the angle at which the sun’s rays strike the
earth, and (b) the length of time in which the
sun shines during a particular day. In turn,
these two depend on the latitude of a
particular place (the latitude of an area is its
distance from the equator).
 Direct rays of the sun deliver more heat than
slanted rays. Regions near the equator (low latitude)
receive direct rays of the sun throughout the year
and therefore have higher average temperature
compared to regions near the poles (high latitude),
which receive slanted rays. Also, the days and nights
near the equator are almost equal in length while
near the poles, the length of days and nights varies
with the season. Toward the pole, the nights are
long in winter while in summer, daylights are long.
Thus, the lower the latitude, the warmer the
climate; the higher the latitude, the colder the
climate.
2. The altitude (height above sea level) of a place also
determines its climate. Even places near the equator
experiences a cold climate if they are located at a high
altitude compared to those located at sea level.
Example, Baguio City has lower average temperature
and colder climate than the surrounding area because
of its high altitude.
3. The presence of land and water masses affect the
climate of a place. Since land surfaces heat and cool
faster than water surfaces, land regions experience
hotter summers and colder winters compared to sea
regions in the same latitude.
4. Mountains and plains determine how distant
winds affect the climate of a region.
 HUMIDITY
Relative humidity is high in the Philippines. A high amount of moisture or
vapor in the air makes hot temperatures feel hotter. This quantity of
moisture is due to different factors - the extraordinary evaporation from the
seas that surrounds the country on all sides, to the different prevailing winds
in the different seasons of the year, and finally, to the abundant rains so
common in a tropical country. The first may be considered as general
causes of the great humidity, which is generally observed in all the islands
throughout the year. The last two may influence the different degree of
humidity for the different months of the year and for the different regions of
the archipelago.

In the cooler months, even though the rains are more abundant in the
eastern part of the Philippines, owing to the prevailing northeasterly winds,
the humidity is lesser than in the western part where a dry season prevails.
From June to October, although the rains are quite general throughout the
Archipelago, the rains are more abundant in the western part of the
Philippines, which is more exposed to the prevailing westerly and
southwesterly winds; hence the humidity of the air is greater there than in
the eastern part of the Archipelago.

The least comfortable months are from March to May where temperature
and humidity attain their maximum levels.
SEASON
PAGASA divides the climate of the
country into two main seasons—rainy
and dry—with the dry season further
subdivided into two: (1) the rainy
season, from June to November; and
(2) the dry season, from December to
May. The dry season may be
subdivided further into (a) the cool dry
season, from December to February;
and (b) the hot dry season, from March
to May. The months of April and May,
the hot and dry months when schools
are on their long, between-years break,
is referred to as summer while in most
of the Northern Hemisphere those
months are part of spring.
 TYPHOON
In the Philippines, tropical cyclones (typhoons) are called bagyo. Tropical cyclones
entering the Philippine Area of Responsibility are given a local name by the Philippine
Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), which
also raises public storm signal warnings as deemed necessary.Around 19 tropical
cyclones or storms enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility in a typical year and of
these usually 6 to 9 make landfall.

The deadliest overall tropical cyclone to impact the Philippines is believed to have
been the September 1881 typhoon which is estimated to have killed up to 20,000
people as it passed over the country in September 1881. In modern meteorological
records, the deadliest storm was Typhoon Haiyan, which became the strongest
landfalling tropical cyclone ever recorded as it crossed the Central Philippines on
November 7-8, 2013. The wettest known tropical cyclone to impact the archipelago
was the July 14–18, 1911 cyclone which dropped over 2,210 millimetres (87 in) of
rainfall within a 3-day, 15-hour period in Baguio City.[6] Tropical cyclones usually
account for at least 30 percent of the annual rainfall in the northern Philippines while
being responsible for less than 10 percent of the annual rainfall in the southern
islands.

The Philippines is the most-exposed large country in the world to tropical cyclones; the
cyclones have even affected settlement patterns in the northern islands: for example,
the eastern coast of Luzon is very sparsely populated
GENESIS OF TYPHOON
There are six main requirements for tropical cyclogenesis: sufficiently warm
sea surface temperatures, atmospheric instability, high humidity in the lower
to middle levels of the troposphere, enough Coriolis force to develop a low
pressure center, a pre-existing low level focus or disturbance, and low
vertical wind shear. While these conditions are necessary for tropical
cyclone formation, they do not guarantee that a tropical cyclone will form.
Normally, an ocean temperature of 26.5 °C (79.7 °F) spanning through a
depth of at least 50 metres (160 ft) is considered the minimum to maintain
the special mesocyclone that is the tropical cyclone.[citation needed] These
warm waters are needed to maintain the warm core that fuels tropical
systems. A minimum distance of 500 km (300 mi) from the equator is
normally needed for tropical cyclogenesis
Whether it be a depression in the intertropical covergence zone (ITCZ)
or monsoon trough, a broad surface front, or an outflow boundary, a low
level feature with sufficient vorticity and convergence is required to
begin tropical cyclogenesis. About 85 to 90 percent of Pacific typhoons
form within the monsoon trough. Even with perfect upper level
conditions and the required atmospheric instability, the lack of a surface
focus will prevent the development of organized convection and a
surface low. Vertical wind shear of less than 10 m/s (20 kn, 33 ft/s)
between the ocean surface and the tropopause is required for tropical
cyclone development. Typically with Pacific typhoons, there are two
outflow jets: one to the north ahead of an upper trough in the
Westerlies, and a second towards the equator.

In general, westerly wind increases associated with the Madden-Julian

Oscillation lead to increased tropical cyclogenesis in all tropical cyclone
basins. As the oscillation propagates from west to east, it leads to an
eastward march in tropical cyclogenesis with time during that
hemisphere's summer season.] On average, twice per year twin tropical
cyclones will form in the western Pacific ocean, near the 5th parallel
north and the 5th parallel south, along the same meridian, or line of
longitude. There is an inverse relationship between tropical cyclone
activity in the western Pacific basin and the north Atlantic basin,
however. When one basin is active, the other is normally quiet, and vice
versa. The main reason for this appears to be the phase of the
Madden-Julian oscillation, or MJO, which is normally in opposite modes
between the two basins at any given time
Three different tropical
cyclones spinning over
the western Pacific
Ocean on August 7,
2006. The cyclone on
the lower right has
intensified into a
typhoon.
ANATOMY OF TYPHOON
Storm Surge
FREQUENCY OF TYPHOON
Nearly one-third of the world's tropical cyclones form within the western
Pacific. This makes this basin the most active on Earth.[16] Pacific typhoons
have formed year round, with peak months from August to October. The
peak months correspond to that of the Atlantic hurricane seasons. Along
with a high storm frequency, this basin also features the most globally
intense storms on record. One of the most recent busy seasons was 2004.
Tropical cyclones form in any month of the year across the northwest Pacific
ocean, and concentrate around June and November in the northern Indian
ocean. The area just northeast of the Philippines is the most active place on
Earth for tropical cyclones to exist. Across the Philippines themselves,
activity reaches a minimum in February, before increasing steadily through
June, and spiking from July through October, with September being the
most active month for tropical cyclones across the archipelago. Activity falls
off significantly in November, although Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest
Philippine typhoon on record, was a November typhoon.] The most
frequently impacted areas of the Philippines by tropical cyclones are
northern and central Luzon and eastern Visayas. A ten-year average of
satellite determined precipitation showed that at least 30 percent of the
annual rainfall in the northern Philippines could be traced to tropical
cyclones, while the southern islands receive less than 10 percent of their
annual rainfall from tropical cyclones.
Tracks of all tropical cyclones in
the northernwestern Pacific
Ocean between 1980 and 2005.
The vertical line to the right is the
International Date Line
PATH OF TYPHOON
Most tropical cyclones form on the side of the subtropical ridge closer to the equator,
then move poleward past the ridge axis before recurving north and northeast into the
main belt of the Westerlies.[20] When the subtropical ridge position shifts due to El
Niño, so will the preferred tropical cyclone tracks. Areas west of Japan and Korea
tend to experience much fewer September–November tropical cyclone impacts
during El Niño and neutral years. During El Niño years, the break in the subtropical
ridge tends to lie near 130°E, which would favor the Japanese archipelago.[21]
During La Niña years, the formation of tropical cyclones, along with the subtropical
ridge position, shifts westward across the western Pacific ocean, which increases the
landfall threat to China and greater intensity to Philippines.[21] Those that form near
the Marshall Islands find their way to Jeju Island, Korea.[22]

Typhoon paths follow three general directions.[16]

Straight track (or straight runner). A general westward path affects the Philippines,
southern China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
A parabolic, recurving track. Storms recurving affect eastern Philippines, eastern
China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and the Russian Far East.
Northward track. From point of origin, the storm follows a northerly direction, only
affecting small islands.
A rare few storms, like Hurricane John, were redesignated as typhoons as its track
originated from the Eastern/Central Pacific and moved its way into the western
Pacific.
Typhoon Haiyan
PUBLIC STORM WARNING
SIGNAL
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
(PAGASA) releases tropical cyclone warnings in the form of Public Storm Warning
Signals.[3] An area having a storm signal may be under:

PSWS #1 - Tropical cyclone winds of 30 km/h (19 mph) to 60 km/h (37 mph) are
expected within the next 36 hours. (Note: If a tropical cyclone forms very close to the
area, then a shorter lead time is seen on the warning bulletin.)
PSWS #2 - Tropical cyclone winds of 60 km/h (37 mph) to 100 km/h (62 mph) are
expected within the next 24 hours.
PSWS #3 - Tropical cyclone winds of 100 km/h (62 mph) to 185 km/h (115 mph) are
expected within the next 18 hours.
PSWS #4 - Tropical cyclone winds of greater than 185 km/h (115 mph) are expected
within 12 hours.
These storm signals are usually raised when an area (in the Philippines only) is about to
be hit by a tropical cyclone. As a tropical cyclone gains strength and/or gets nearer to an
area having a storm signal, the warning may be upgraded to a higher one in that
particular area (e.g. a signal No. 1 warning for an area may be increased to signal #3).
Conversely, as a tropical cyclone weakens and/or gets farther to an area, it may be
downgraded to a lower signal or may be lifted (that is, an area will have no storm signal).

Classes for Preschool are canceled when Signal No. 1 is in effect. Elementary and High
School classes and below are cancelled under Signal No. 2 and classes for Colleges and
Universities and below are cancelled under Signal No. 3 and Signal No. 4.
STORM WARNING
SIGNALS USED BY
PAGASA
SAFFIR-SIMPSON
HURRICANE SCALE
Typhoon on Land
Typhoon at Sea
Landslides
Floods
 INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE
ZONE (ITCZ)
The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), known by sailors as the
doldrums, is the area encircling the earth near the equator where the
northeast and southeast trade winds come together.

The thunderstorms of the Intertropical

Infra-red image from GOES 14
Convergence Zone form a line across the
showing the intertropical
eastern Pacific Ocean
convergence zone
The ITCZ appears as a band of clouds, usually
thunderstorms, that circle the globe near the equator. In the
Northern Hemisphere, the trade winds move in a
southwestern direction from the northeast, while in the
Southern Hemisphere, they move northwestward from the
southeast. When the ITCZ is positioned north or south of the
equator, these directions change according to the Coriolis
effect imparted by the rotation of the earth. For instance,
when the ITCZ is situated north of the equator, the southeast
trade wind changes to a southwest wind as it crosses the
equator. The ITCZ is formed by vertical motion largely
appearing as convective activity of thunderstorms driven by
solar heating, which effectively draw air in; these are the
trade winds.The ITCZ is effectively a tracer of the ascending
branch of the Hadley cell, and is wet. The dry descending
branch is the horse latitudes.
 EFFECTS ON WEATHER DUE TO ITCZ
Variation in the location of the intertropical convergence zone drastically affects
rainfall in many equatorial nations, resulting in the wet and dry seasons of the
tropics rather than the cold and warm seasons of higher latitudes. Longer term
changes in the intertropical convergence zone can result in severe droughts or
flooding in nearby areas.

In some cases, the ITCZ may become narrow, especially when it moves away from
the equator; the ITCZ can then be interpreted as a front along the leading edge of
the equatorial air.[5] There appears to be a 15-25 day cycle in thunderstorm activity
along the ITCZ, which is roughly half the wavelength of the Madden–Julian
oscillation (MJO).
Within the ITCZ the average winds are slight, unlike the zones north and south of
the equator where the trade winds feed. Early sailors named this belt of calm the
doldrums because of the inactivity and stagnation they found themselves in after
days of no wind. To find oneself becalmed in this region in a hot and muggy climate
could mean death in an era when wind was the only effective way to propel ships
across the ocean. Even today leisure and competitive sailors attempt to cross the
zone as quickly as possible as the erratic weather and wind patterns may cause
unexpected delays.
The ITCZ moves farther away from the equator during the Northern
summer than the Southern one due to the North-heavy arrangement of
the continents.
GLOBAL AIR MOVEMENTS AND
MONSOON
Before one can understand the various wind patterns affecting the Philippines,
A broader knowledge of what causes global air circulation is necessary. All these
Would be vital in utilizing air movement close to the ground and in the passive
cooling of architectural structures in the hot-humid tropics.

As the rays of the sun hit the earth’s surface, the equator receives more radiation
than would the polar regions. This necessitates the removal of the excess heat of
the equatorial region towards the cooler polar regions. Otherwise this imbalance
can cause the further warming up of the equatorial regions and the cooling of the
latter. The phenomenon of wind system work to remove the heat by moving the
equatorial air upwards in its journey towards the poles. Thereafter, the cycle is
When the cold air moves towards the equator very close to the earth’s surface.
 AIR MOVEMENT ≡ wind

Principles of Air Movement

1. Air flows from a high-pressure to a low-pressure area.

2. INERTIA. Once set in motion, air tends to continue to

flow in its initial direction until some intervening
force is met.

3. Air flows through the path of least resistance.

 GLOBAL AIR MOVEMENT

General Conditions

1. Equator receives more radiation than do polar regions.

2. Heat from equator move towards polar regions.

3. Hot air moves upwards going to polar regions.

4. Cold air moves to equator close to earth’s surface.

 GLOBAL AIR MOVEMENT

Specific Conditions

1. Rotation of earth deflects the air = Coriolis Force

2. Wind flows due to heat exchange.

• Air temperature changes faster than ground temperature

• Daily fluctuations of air temperature caused by
physical conduction up to 3 meters above the ground
• Marked differences of air temperature between night and day
Major Circulation Systems of the Earth

 On or near the equator, where

average solar radiation is greatest,
air is warmed at the surface and
rises. This creates a band of low air
pressure, centered on the equator
known as the intertropical
convergence zone (ITCZ). The
Intertropical Convergence Zone
draws in surface air from the
subtropics.
Coriolis Effect
 Earth's rotation then causes curvature
of the flow of wind via the Coriolis
effect.
 Movements of air in the atmosphere
and water in the ocean are notable
examples of this behavior, rather
than flowing directly from areas of
high pressure to low pressure, as they
would on a non-rotating planet,
winds and currents tend to flow to
the right of this direction north of the
equator, and to the left of this
direction south of the equator.
 This effect is responsible for the
rotation of large cyclones and
tornadoes
 GEOGRAPHICAL AIR MOVEMENT

Land and Sea Breezes

1. Daytime Heating: land warms more rapidly than water

• SEA BREEZE – wind from the sea directed toward land
• Strongest in the afternoon when heating variance is greatest

2. Night Time Cooling: land cools faster than water

• LAND BREEZE – wind from land directed to sea

WARM

COOL
Daytime Sea Breeze

COOL

WARM
Night Time Land Breeze
What are the prevailing wind
systems over the Philippines
Land and water surfaces differ in their rate of
cooling. Land heats and cools more rapidly
than water. This particularly evident in
extensive surfaces. Continents heat and cool
faster than oceans. As a result, a center of
low pressure develops over the continent
while high pressure develops over the
adjacent ocean.
MONSOON

A "monsoon" is a weather pattern; a monsoon has a

different name in each country that it affects. In the
Philippines, the Summer Monsoon (West or
southwest) is called the Habagat (ha-bag-at) and the
Winter Monsoon (North or northeast) is called the
Amihan (a-me-han). The word 'monsoon' is believed to
originate from the Arabic word mawsim (season), via
the Portuguese and then Dutch monsun.

A "monsoon" is a consistent wind pattern generated by

a large weather system, that lasts for a period of
months and affects a large area of the planet.
These difference in temperature and pressure
between continents and oceans brought
about by changes in the seasons develop
wind system known as seasonal winds or
monsoons. In summer, the land is heated
more than the ocean so the cooler air from
the ocean moves toward the land. In winter,
the land gets colder than the ocean so the
cooler air from the land moves toward the
ocean.
What are the prevailing wind systems or
monsoons in the Philippines?
In the Northern Hemisphere, a high pressure
area develops over India and Southern Siberia
in winter because of the colder air over them.
The mass of cold air then moves toward the
Pacific Ocean. It reaches the Philippines from
a north-easterly direction and the air mass is
called the Northeast Monsoon (Amihan) for
that reason. This prevails the cold morning
experienced in the country from December to
Febraury.
NORTHEAST
MONSOON
(AMIHAN)
December
to January
During summer in the Northern Hemisphere,
the Asian continent becomes warmer than
the oceans surrounding it. A cold air mass
develops over the Pacific Ocean and begins to
move toward the Asian continent. This forms
the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) which
prevails over the Philippines in the months of
July, August and September.
SOUTHEAST
MONSOON
(HABAGAT)
July to
September
The trade winds, which are the prevailing
winds in the tropics likewise affect the
Philippines during the rest of the year and
whenever the Northeast Monsoon and
Southwest Monsoon weaken.
TAIL-END OF COLD FRONT

Tail-end of a cold front is a weather disturbance in

the Philippines (the tropics) which normally occurs
during the winter season. It is composed of
multicell thunderclouds (provides precipitation and
thunderstorms) which forms along the shearline
that is connected to the cold front. The greater
difference in temperature (temperature gradient)
during winter is the reason why this disturbance
forms and is also amplified by wind convergence.
A cold front is defined as the leading edge of a cooler mass of air, replacing (at
ground level) a warmer mass of air, which lies within a fairly sharp surface
trough of low pressure. It forms in the wake of an extra-tropical cyclone, at
the leading edge of its cold air advection pattern, which is also known as the
cyclone's dry conveyor belt circulation.

Tail-end of a Cold Front is a front boundary of 2 air masses, which is found in a

middle latitude. It causes too much rainfall and cloudiness over affected
areas.It is in a Northern portion of the country during the Northern
Hemisphere in a winter season.