Climate of the Philippines

Typhoons

The Philippine archipelago sits across the typhoon belt, where dangerous storms occur from July through October. Climate change exacerbates the situation with typhoons in the Philippines. Bagyo is the Filipino term for any tropical cyclone in the Philippine Islands. From the statistics gathered by PAGASA from 1948 to 2004, around 28 storms and/or typhoons per year enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) – the designated area assigned to PAGASA to monitor during weather disturbances. Of those that made landfall or crossed the Philippines, the average was nine per year. In 1993, a record nineteen typhoons made landfall in the country, making it the most in one year. The fewest per year were four during the years 1955, 1958, 1992, and 1997.

PAGASA categorizes typhoons into five types according to wind speed. Once a tropical cyclone enters the PAR, regardless of strength, it is given a local name for identification purposes by the media, government, and the general public.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals (TCWS)

The Philippines has experienced a number of extremely damaging tropical cyclones, particularly typhoons with sustained winds of at least 185 km/h (115 mph; 100 kn; 51 m/s). For a long time, the Philippines used a four-level warning system to alert citizens of incoming tropical cyclones that would make landfall in the country, but the extensive damage and loss of life caused by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in 2013 made it inadequate. Because of this, the warning system was increased to five levels, and a Super Typhoon (STY) category was adopted in 2015. Initially, super typhoons were defined as typhoons with maximum sustained winds of more than 220 km/h (140 mph; 120 kn; 61 m/s), but the threshold was lowered to those of at least 185 km/h (115 mph; 100 kn; 51 m/s) after PAGASA revised its system of wind signals in 2022.

Notable typhoons to hit the Philippines

This list only includes super typhoons that made landfall in the country at powerful wind speeds and intensities, and wrought extensive damage at the same time. Several weaker storms have made landfall in the country, although they produced extensive damage and high losses of life, such as tropical storms Ondoy and Sendong, both of which accumulated over 400 deaths.

Typhoon Angela (Rosing, 1995)

In November 1995, Typhoon Angela, a catastrophic Category 5-equivalent super typhoon, known locally as Rosing, made landfall in the province of Catanduanes and skirted throughout the island of Luzon. Bicol Region and Metro Manila were the hardest hit areas, and signal #4 was even raised in the latter, a feat that would not happen in the area for 25 years. One-minute sustained winds reached speeds of 290 km/h (180 mph). Rosing took 936 lives and caused over 10 billion pesos in damage. It was considered the most powerful typhoon to ever hit Metro Manila in terms of wind speeds.

Typhoon Bopha (Pablo, 2012)

The most powerful typhoon to ever strike the island of Mindanao, typhoon Bopha, locally known as Pablo, made landfall in eastern Mindanao as a powerful category 5-equivalent super typhoon, with one-minute measured sustained winds reaching speeds of 280 km/h (170 mph). Davao Region was one of the worst hit areas, particularly Davao Oriental, where the typhoon made its first land interaction. Over 42 billion pesos (US$1.04 billion) was recorded over time, making it the costliest storm to impact Mindanao, as well as the whole country, at that time. At least 1,067 people died and 834 people were reported missing. Most of the damage was caused by storm surges and winds.

Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda, 2013)

One of the most powerful storms to make landfall anywhere in the world in terms of wind speeds, Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda, made landfall in several areas across the country in November of 2013 as a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon. The islands of Leyte and Samar were the hardest hit by the typhoon, especially the city of Tacloban, where the storm's eyewall passed through. More than 6,300 people died from its storm surges and powerful winds, with damages up to 90 billion pesos, making it the deadliest and most destructive typhoon to hit the country on record. In addition, over 1,000 went missing, and nearly 20,000 were injured. One-minute sustained winds reached up to 315 km/h (196 mph; 170 kn; 88 m/s), cementing Yolanda (Haiyan) as the strongest storm in history in terms of reliably measured wind speeds, until it was surpassed by Hurricane Patricia of the eastern Pacific region in 2015.

Typhoon Goni (Rolly, 2020)

The most powerful tropical cyclone to make landfall anywhere in the world in terms of one-minute measured wind speeds, Typhoon Goni, locally known as Rolly, made landfall in Catanduanes as a powerful Category 5-equivalent super typhoon, and was one of the series of storms that made landfall in the Philippines between October and November 2020. At landfall, one-minute measured wind speeds were at 315 km/h (196 mph; 170 kn; 88 m/s). Bicol Region was the worst hit by the typhoon, and signal #4 was once again raised in Metro Manila, the first time since the above-mentioned Angela (Rosing). Evacuation processes were also complicated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as health and safety protocols were implemented at the time of impact to prevent the spread of the virus. Damages from the storm reached over 20 billion pesos (US$369 million).

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 at the top). They are described as follows:

Temperature

The average year-round temperature measured from all the weather stations in the Philippines, except Baguio, 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). Elevation factors significantly in the variation of temperature in the Philippines. In Baguio, with an elevation of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level, the mean average is 18.3 °C (64.9 °F) or cooler by about 4.3 °C (8 °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 °C (18 °F) from the lowland mean temperature.

Humidity

Relative humidity is high in the Philippines. A high amount of moisture in the air makes hot temperatures feel hotter. This quantity of moisture is due to different factors, including evaporation from the seas that surround the country on all sides, the different prevailing winds in the different seasons of the year, and abundant tropical rain. The first may be considered a general cause of the great humidity, which is generally observed in all the islands throughout the year. The last two may influence the different degrees of humidity for the different months of the year and for the different regions of the archipelago.

Seasons

The climate of the country is divided into two main seasons:

1. the rainy season, roughly from June to October; associated with the Southwest Monsoon (Hanging Habagat). In 2025, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) officially declared the start of the rainy season on June 3.
2. the dry season, roughly from November to May. The dry season may be subdivided further into (a) the cool dry season, roughly from November to February, associated with the Northeast Monsoon (Hanging Amihan) and (b) the hot dry season, roughly from March to May. The months of April and May, the hot and dry months when schools are on their long breaks between academic years, are commonly called "summer" (after the summer season which lasts from June to August in more temperate countries, which is also the country’s Southwest Monsoon period).

Climate change

Climate change is having serious impacts in the Philippines such as increased frequency and severity of natural disasters, sea level rise, extreme rainfall, resource shortages, and environmental degradation. All of these impacts together have greatly affected the Philippines' agriculture, water, infrastructure, human health, and coastal ecosystems and they are projected to continue having devastating damages to the economy and society of the Philippines.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. The archipelago is situated along the Pacific Ocean's typhoon belt, leaving the country vulnerable to around 20 typhoons each year, a quarter of which are destructive. The December 2021 typhoon known colloquially as Typhoon Odette caused almost one billion US$ (₱47.6 billion) in infrastructure, housing, and agricultural damages and displaced 114,943 people. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reported in 2022 that Typhoon Odette affected the lives of 9.9 million people. More tragically, the physical and economic repercussions of Typhoon Odette led to the death of 407 people as of December 2022.

In addition to the Philippines' close proximity to the Pacific Ocean's typhoon belt, the Philippines is also located within the "Pacific Ring of Fire" which makes the country prone to recurrent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Compounding these issues, the impacts of climate change, such as accelerated sea level rise, exacerbate the state's high susceptibility to natural disasters, like flooding and landslides. Aside from geography, climate change impacts regions with a history of colonization more intensely than regions without a history of colonization. Colonized regions experience the repercussions of climate change most jarringly "because of their high dependence on natural resources, their geographical and climatic conditions and their limited capacity to effectively adapt to a changing climate." Since low-income countries have a history of colonialism and resource exploitation, their environment lacks the diversity necessary to prevail against natural disasters. A lack of biodiversity reduces the resilience of a specific region, leaving them more susceptible to natural disasters and the effects of climate change. With its history of Spanish colonization, the Philippines is not environmentally nor economically equipped to overcome issues it is currently dealing with, such as natural disasters and climate change. This inability to recover exacerbates the problem, creating a cycle of environmental and economic devastation in the country.

The Philippines, an archipelago of over 7,000 islands, is exceptionally vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Rising sea levels threaten coastal communities, leading to increased flooding and displacement. Extreme weather events, such as typhoons, are becoming more frequent and intense, causing widespread destruction and economic losses. Changes in rainfall patterns disrupt agricultural cycles, impacting food security and livelihoods. The country's rich biodiversity is also at risk, as changing temperatures and ocean acidification affect ecosystems and marine life. Addressing climate change in the Philippines requires a multifaceted approach, including mitigation efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation strategies to build resilience, and international cooperation to support vulnerable nations.