Philippines Weather & Climate

The Philippines have a tropical maritime climate, meaning the weather is generally hot
and quite humid. The region really only experiences three seasons, a hot dry summer between
March and May known as tag-init, a wet season between June and November known as tag-ulan
and a coller dry season between December and February known as tag-lamig. The Philippines
weather patterns are created by the prevailing winds of the southwest monsoon (known as the
habagat) from May to October and the northeast monsoon (known as the amihan) from
November to early May.
Average temperatures in the Philippines usually range between 21 °C (70 °F) and 32 °C
(90 °F) with the average yearly temperature coming in at around 26.6 °C (79.9 °F). Temperatures
can fluctuate between regions and depending on the season, however generally January is the
coolest month while May is the warmest. The Philippines are also affected by typhoons, also
known as bagyo, which occur between June and November. Really only affecting the Visayas,
Cebu is the only tourist destination that is impacted by these conditions however, typhoons can
result in significant damage in these areas or heavy rain across the rest of the country.
Aside from typhoon season when the weather can be wet and unpredictable, there really
is no bad time to visit the Philippines. The best time to visit the Philippines weather-wise is from
January to May however unsurprisingly this is also the peak tourist season. There are plenty of
beautiful places to escape in the Philippines where you won't have to compete with tourist
crowds if you don't want to however if you don't mind a little rain during your stay, the low season
from June to September is a good time to visit as it is considered the 'rainy' season, although
some areas don't experience rain during this time This is a good option is you are looking to save
money or visit when things are less busy.
WEATHER CONDITION

The weather exerts much influence on the pond conditions; when it rains, salinity
decreases. The amount of change depends on the surface of the pond. A small compartment
will change more than a bigger one of the same depth because dike area in a small pond is
relatively greater in proportion to the surface area of the pond. Rain or flood waters bring into
the pond nutrients, silt and other material. Strong winds cause wave formation and action
which would tear algae or lab-lab from their growing surfaces and blow them to the sides of
the pond where they die and decompose. Strong waves cause the stirring of the bottoms
when water is shallow, thereby increasing turbidity. Turbidity is harmful to aquatic animals
and inhibits photosynthesis. Strong waves also destroy and wash away the pond dike by
constant wave action. The stirring effect of winds, however, help in oxygenating pond water.
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

An area where rainfall patterns are distinct, not prone to typhoon and flood, coastal
waters not rough, and where strong currents do not prevail, is an ideal place for fishponds.
To much rain will cause very low salinity. Floods are likely to occur which can destroy the
pond. Strong waves generated by winds will endanger the perimeter dikes and entail great
expense in the construction and maintenance of dikes. The same problem will arise with
swift current moving along the coast. Sedimentation or sluice gates and water supply
canals is likely to happen. Strong winds will generate wave action in the ponds which will
tear away the algae or lab-lab growth from the pond bottom. Flood waters, which are
usually turbid due to suspended particles carried away from land by rain to streams and
rivers, will cause turbidity in the pond. The construction of flood control dikes and canals
will entail more expenses.
 The Philippines is located in the tropics and the weather and climate prevailing in any
particular place in the country is due to its geographical location and the different wind
systems that prevail in the locality during the different times of the year.
When we speak of weather, it refers to the condition of the atmosphere at a particular
time. Weather is thought of in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness,
brightness, visibility and wind on a certain day or hour. All these climatic elements are
closely associated with each other and determine to a large extent the final outcome of
fishpond production.
On the other hand, when we speak of climate, we simply refer to the long term
records of weather such as long term average conditions of weather elements, the greatest
amount of rainfall or sunshine as the case may be.

The prevailing wind systems in the Philippines are as follows:

1. Northeast (NE) monsoon - from November to February
2. Southwest (SW) monsoon - from July to September
3. Trade winds - winds in the tropics. They generally come from the east.
The trade winds prevail during the rest of the year whenever NE
monsoons are weak.
Climate in the Philippines has been described in terms of the characteristics of the distribution of
rainfall received in a locality during the different months of the year. There are four climatic types in
the Philippines based on rainfall distribution. It will be noted that most differences in climatic types
from north to south are due to mountain barriers which are high enough to cause variations in rainfall
distribution. The different climatic types are as follows:

Average Temperature: 20.7 C

TYPE I Average Rainfall: 100.58 in TYPE II Average Temperature: 26.8 C
Average Rainfall: 129.08 in

There are two pronounced seasons: dry, There is no dry season with a very
from November to April; wet, during the pronounced maximum rain period from
rest of the year. The localities of this type November to January. These regions are
are protected from the Northwest (NW) along or very near the eastern coast which
monsoon; some are protected from the are sheltered neither from the NE monsoon
trade winds by mountain ranges. and the trade winds nor from cyclonic
However, the controlling factor is storms.
topography in those areas open only to
the Southwest (SW) monsoon and
cyclonic storms.
 Average Temperature: 27.2 C Average Temperature: 26.8 C
TYPE III Average Rainfall: 77.26 in TYPE IV Average Rainfall: 101.84 in

Seasons are not very pronounced; Rainfall is more or less evenly distributed
relatively dry from November to April and throughout the year.
wet during the rest of the year. The
maximum rain periods are not very
pronounced, with the short dry season
lasting only from one to three months.
These localities are only partly sheltered
from the northeast monsoon and trade
winds and open to the Southwest
monsoon or at least to frequent cyclonic
storms.
 The Climate of the Philippines is tropical and maritime. It is characterized by relatively
high temperature, high humidity and abundant rainfall. It is similar in many respects to the
climate of the countries of Central America. Temperature, humidity, and rainfall, which are
discussed hereunder, are the most important elements of the country's weather and climate.

TEMPERATURE

Based on the average of all weather stations in the Philippines, excluding

Baguio, the mean annual temperature is 26.6o C. The coolest months fall in January
with a mean temperature of 25.5oC while the warmest month occurs in May with a mean
temperature of 28.3oC. Latitude is an insignificant factor in the variation of temperature
while altitude shows greater contrast in temperature. Thus, the mean annual
temperature of Baguio with an elevation of 1,500 meters is 18.3oC. This makes the
temperature of Baguio comparable with those in the temperate climate and because of
this, it is known as the summer capital of the Philippines.

The difference between the mean annual temperature of the southernmost

station in Zamboanga and that of the northermost station in Laoag is insignificant. In
other words, there is essentially no difference in the mean annual temperature of places
in Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao measured at or near sea level.

PHILIPPINE CLIMATE DATA ANALYSIS

HUMIDITY
Humidity refers to the moisture content of the atmosphere. Due to high
temperature and the surrounding bodies of water, the Philippines has a high relative
humidity. The average monthly relative humidty varies between 71 percent in March and
85 percent in September. The combination of warm temperature and high relative and
absolute humidities give rise to high sensible temperature throughout the archipelago. It
is especially uncomfortable during March to May, when temperature and humidity attain
their maximum levels.

RAINFALL
Rainfall is the most important climatic element in the Philippines. Rainfall
distribution throughout the country varies from one region to another, depending upon the
direction of the moisture-bearing winds and the location of the mountain systems.
The mean annual rainfall of the Philippines varies from 965 to 4,064 millimeters
annually. Baguio City, eastern Samar, and eastern Surigao receive the greatest amount of
rainfall while the southern portion of Cotabato receives the least amount of rain. At
General Santos City in Cotabato, the average annual rainfall is only 978 millimeters.

PHILIPPINE CLIMATE DATA ANALYSIS

THE SEASONS
Using temperature and rainfall as bases, the climate of the country can be
divided into two major seasons: (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.

PHILIPPINE CLIMATE DATA ANALYSIS