Page updated: 01/07/2012

Climates of the Philippines

CLIMATE CHANGE ! Here in the Philippines we see, feel and suffer from the global climate change. Typhoons come in more in the north. The country is undergoing desertification in places like Sorsogon, Baguio, Davao and the Sierra Madre mountain range. The typical seasons disappear and mix up.

The local climate is hot, humid, and tropical. The average yearly temperature is around 26.5°C (79.7°F). There are three recognized seasons: Tag-init or Tag-araw (the hot season or summer from March to May), Tag-ulan (the rainy season from June to November), and Taglamig (the cold season from December to February).

The southwest monsoon (May-October) is known as "habagat" and the dry winds of the northeast monsoon (November April) as "amihan".
These seasons can seriously get mixed up by the El Niño / La Niña effects. El Niño brings dry weather and even droughts. La Niña stands for rainy weather and floods.

Philippines climate diagrams
	Glide over the red marked cities to see their climate

Philippines Climate - Dry Season
The Philippines dry season starts in December and runs through to about June. This period does not encounter any monsoons, you do however have the consistent trade winds blowing from north-east which are generally dry. Don't let this fool you as you are in the tropics and rain can fall every day. If it does rain in the dry season it will usually be a nice afternoon shower to cool you down and wash the dust away, more relieving than anything else.	Within the Philippines dry season you will encounter two distinct differences. During the months of December to February you can expect cool and dry weather. January is the coolest month of the year, when we say coolest you can expect a temperature around 25 degrees Celsius, which is really quite nice.	From March to June you can expect hot and dry weather. May is the hottest month of the year, you can expect temperatures in the high thirties and even low forty degree Celsius and at night if it gets below 27 degrees Celsius then you are lucky. Make sure you have air conditioning or at least a fan.
Is this a good time to visit?
You bet it is, the Philippines climate is the best during the months of December to May, the ideal month is March just before the heat and humidity really starts to kick in.	If you are travelling in May I suggest you head up to the Summer Capital of the Philippines , Baguio. This is where the majority of the rich in Manila travel, so they can escape the heavy humidity and heat on the coast.	But December and January can be very nasty in the southern Visayas. Sometimes all a week long the sky is gray and it rains 24 hours a day. This season is more appropriate to vist the north of Luzon e.g. the rice terraces of Banaue and Cagayan valley.

Philippines Climate - Rainy or Wet Season
After the high humidity and heat of the months May and June it is not surprising that something has to give, it just cannot stay this sticky forever and you are right. The season will break, usually in July. It is July through to November that the rains come and boy do they come. These rains are called monsoons and are a constant wind bringing rain.	Each year during the monsoons the Philippines climate also attracts typhoons which batter the Pacific eastern coastline of Luzon , Samar , Leyte but nearly never Mindanao . The typhoons come in from the Western Pacific in a north-westerly direction, they also whip up the Philippines surf.	In the last years we counted less typhoons per year but they were more violent and made landfall more in the north. In 2009 a series of four cyclones battered northern Luzon in one month.
Is this a good time to visit?
If you are travelling during July, August and September, expect rain everyday. One of the good aspects of travel during the rainy and wet season is the cloud cover. I know, I know you want the sun, but don't forget the sun can be pretty unforgiving in the tropics and after half an hour of unprotected sun exposure your holiday could be bound for the indoors in any event. So consider the cloud cover as a time to enjoy the outdoors without getting burnt bright red like a cooked lobster. The clouds can be your friend, shielding you from the harshest direct sun and also providing cooler temperatures. A pretty good bonus if you ask me.	Also don't forget that it will be less frequented, it is the official off season so the resorts will be quieter and cheaper and that has to be good! The down side of course is the rain and the odd storm, but typical of tropical climates, the afternoon showers are a relief and something to look forward to. There is nothing better than having a cool drink overlooking the deep blue of the ocean watching the storm build and break and then disappear, it is better than watching the next blockbuster at the cinema.	The rainy or wet season is perfect to visit the southern Visayas (Bohol, Siquijor, Panglao and Camiguin - and not to forget Mindanao. Mindanao is south of the typhoon belt and even the southern Visayas encounter a typhoon maybe once in ten years.

Philippines Typhoons
Theory: This cycle during the Philippines climate of wet season, dry season and Philippine typhoons are very distinct. The Philippine Typhoon or bagyo in Tagalog, are just spoiling for a fight from July to October. The devastation they create each year is shattering on both an emotional scale and financial. These typhoons in the Philippines come in from the Western Pacific Ocean and only affect the eastern coastline of the Philippine Islands. The typhoon winds can generate speeds of more than 130 km/hour with the actual typhoon moving at a speed across the water and coastal lowlands close to 25km/hour. So you can imagine the destruction they can cause in rural communities where housing is made from local produce.	Realty: Philippine typhoons come in during the whole year. January to April are a bit less probable. 2008 Fengshen left in June a track of destruction on Panay island. Not only the eastern coastline is touched, but 99% of the typhoons come from south-east and then turn to north and later to north-east or north-west. See our typhoon tracks collection from 1950 to 2011 below. The 2012 charts and trackings will start as soon as the first tropical cyclone builds up.	More information: For actual weather charts and typhoon warnings see our weather page. For 2012 typhoon tracking visit our 2012 typhoons page Useful links: DOST-PAGASA (Philippines) Typhoon2000.ph JMA (Japan)
West Pacific Typhoon Summary Charts 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
More or less typhhons?
When a new tropical storm or a typhoon is approaching the people in the Philippines start to discuss. The hottest topic is the increase of typhoons in the last years. Is this true?
- We analyzed all tropical storms and typhoons of 100°-140° east and 0°-40° north. - We only counted storms with sustained wind speed (10 minutes average) of over 63km/h - About 50% of all storms did not make landfall and only few touched the Philippines.
Which months are the most dangerous ones?

The months of July, August and September are the typhoon months. February and March are the most quiet months. (The 2000s line is only up to September 21, 2008. This is why it is lower than the others).
Where do the typhoons hit the Philippines?

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is an area of low pressure that forms where the Northeast Trade Winds meet the Southeast Trade Winds near the earth's equator. As these winds converge, moist air is forced upward. This causes water vapor to condense, or be "squeezed" out, as the air cools and rises, resulting in a band of heavy precipitation around the globe. This band moves seasonally, always being drawn toward the area of most intense solar heating, or warmest surface temperatures.

It moves toward the Southern Hemisphere from September through February and reverses direction in preparation for Northern Hemisphere Summer that occurs in the middle of the calendar year. However, the ITCZ is less mobile over the oceanic longitudes, where it holds a stationary position just north of the equator. In these areas, the rain simply intensifies with increased solar heating and diminishes as the sun moves away. An exception to this rule occurs when there is an ENSO event, during which the ITCZ is deflected toward unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific.

The Role of the ITCZ in Generating Tropical Depressions
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. This rising air comprises one segment of a circulation pattern called the Hadley Cell.	The rising air is replaced by the Trade winds approaching the equator from north and south. As the trade winds meet near the equator, surface convergence and uplift take place. For this reason the equatorial band of low pressure is called the Equatorial Trough, Intertropical Convergence Zone, or the ITCZ.
Fig. 1. Global belts of high and low pressure, and the major prevailing winds on Earth.	The ITCZ is a region of light winds, which lends it the name the doldrums. The convergence of the Southeast and Northeast Trade Winds, within the doldrums, creates a zone of Cumulus clouds and attendant shower activity. Cumulus clouds often build up to great heights. Aircraft reports have estimated tops of Cumulonimbus to be as high as 12,000 m. The ITCZ varies from 20 miles to as much as 300 miles in width, and typically has an undulating conformation. Seasonal Meandering of the ITCZ. We are interested in the ITCZ because, under certain circumstances, tropical depressions on the ITCZ intensify to hurricanes. It may seem puzzling that the ITCZ can produce cyclones, when the Coriolis force is at its weakest near the equator. The answer to this puzzle lies in the fact that the ITCZ is not stationary on the equator, but migrates north and south with the seasons. The ITCZ moves north during the high-sun season of the Northern Hemisphere, and south during the high-sun season in the Southern Hemisphere. These movements are not perfectly symmetrical above and below the equator, because of the influence of land masses, among other factors.
Fig. 2. The seasonal meandering of the ITCZ.	When the ITCZ is near the equator, the convergence of surface winds along the ITCZ is likely to take the form of parallel flow, with easterly wind approaching the doldrums from both north and south. When the Trade Winds converging at the ITCZ are weak and nearly parallel to it, the ITCZ tends to narrow in width, and show little shower activity. This condition is shown below.
Fig. 3. Trade winds converging parallel to the ITCZ.	When the ITCZ lies south of the Geographic Equator, as it does in the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Northeast Trade Winds acquire a northwesterly direction after crossing the equator (because the Coriolis force changes direction below the equator!) In this situation the convergence is strong and favors the formation of a Tropical Depression. (In the diagram below, note that the direction of the winds entering the low encourages clockwise rotation, which is cyclonic in the Southern Hemisphere).
Fig. 4. A tropical depression on the ITCZ south of the geographical equator.	When the ITCZ lies north of the Geographic Equator, the Southeast Trade Winds acquire a southwesterly direction after crossing the equator and again the convergence pattern favors the formation of a Tropical Depression.
Fig. 5. A tropical depression on the ITCZ north of the geographical equator.	Tropical depressions tend to move from east to west at a rate of about 10 to12 knots. In most cases these disturbances are shortlived. Surface winds attending a tropical depression usually do not exceed 25 knots. The enclosing isobar has an elongated oval shape, the width of the ITCZ is greater in the region enclosed by the isobar(s), and the ITCZ exhibits a deflection away from the Geographic Equator. Importance of the Seasonal Position of the ITCZ. There is a definite connection between the seasonal position of the Equatorial Trough and zones of hurricane formation, which is borne out by the fact that no hurricanes occur in the South Atlantic (where the trough never lies south of 5 deg S) or in the southeast Pacific (where the trough remains north of the equator). On the other hand, satellite photographs over the northeast Pacific show an unexpected number of cyclonic vortices in summer, many of which move westwards near the trough line about 10 deg -1 deg N.