Weather Patterns in the Philippines
 Weather – is the condition of the day at any given place.
It is based on the current atmospheric conditions that
include temperature, pressure, humidity, winds, clouds
and precipitation.
 This means that the weather condition differs from
place to place at a certain time.
 Meteorology is the science that deals with the study of
weather.
 A person who studies weather is called a meteorologist
or a weatherman.
 The weatherman records the weather condition every
hour and uses this as a basis in weather forecasting.
 Climate – is the average weather for a given area over a
long period of time.
The weather in the Philippines is affected by monsoons.
 Monsoon is characterized by a consistent wind pattern
that affects a large region of the planet lasting for
months.
 The term monsoon came from the Arabic word mawsim
which means season.
 There are two types of weather patterns in the
Philippines: amihan and habagat.
a. Amihan or Northeast Monsoon
-It is a weather pattern characterized by a less strong
east or northeast breeze that is cool and dry coupled
with prolonged periods of cloudless days.
-The cool and dry air originates from the winter season
in Siberia, Mongolia and northern China.
-Amihan prevails from November to May.
-The dry season is usually experienced during amihan.
b. Habagat or Southwest Monsoon
-It is characterized by strong west or southwest breeze
that brings significant rainfall to the country.
-The air that passes over the large warm areas of the
equatorial ocean brings rain.
-This governs the weather from May to October, which
is the country’s wet season.
Seasons in the Philippines
 Season – is characterized by consistent or similar
weather patterns across a period of time in a year. It is
also known as the divisions of the year based on
weather patterns or Earth’s position in its orbit around
the sun.
– The Philippines has two distinct seasons (wet and dry
seasons) due to its geographical location. It is located
between 5o NL and 20o NL which is near the equator.
a. Wet season
-The temperature is relatively lower due to the heavy
clouds and constant rainfall.
-During the wet seasons, the country experiences rains
from June to November.
-But the heaviest downpour in most areas is from July
to October.
b. Dry Season
-During this season, temperature in the Philippines is
very warm. Locally known as tag-init or tagtuyo.
-The dry season is from December to May.
-It may be subdivided further into a cool dry season
from December to February and hot dry season from
March to May.
Effects of Seasons on the Livelihood and
Health of Filipinos
 Relatively cool and dry season (December to February)
-Any livelihood that produces goods for the holiday
season is in demand but seasonal.
-This is the best time for flower farming for special
occasions.
-In terms of health, colds and flu are common.
-This is also the time of the year when people should
be conscious of what they eat because of the holidays.
 Hot, dry season (March to May)
-The temperature is higher than usual with barely any
wind and no rain.
-Outdoor activities in or near natural or manmade
bodies of water abound, such as swimming and
surfing.
-There are livelihoods that focus on easing the effects
of unbearable heat on people such as opening resorts
and serving beverages and snacks.
-This season adversely effects aquaculture and
agriculture. They may cause massive fish kill and
irrigation problems due to lack of water or drought.
-People are prone to heat stroke and skin diseases
such as prickly heat, sunburn, and boils.
 Wet season (June to November)
-Most outdoor activities are cancelled or postponed
for safety reasons. Sometimes, classes and/or offices
are cancelled due to heavy rainfall or floods.
-Indoor activities and warm snacks are preferred in
this season.
-Farmers look forward to this season because of their
crops. However, strong, heavy and continuous rains
may destroy crops and other sources of livelihood like
aquaculture.
-There is health risk of contracting leptospirosis during
rainy season.
-Aside from this, colds, cough, flu and other upper
respiratory problems are very common.
-One should wear a raincoat and use an umbrella
when going out while it is raining.
-Wading in the flood is strongly discouraged.