All About Climate of the Philippines
The Climate of the Philippines has a tropical climate that is often tempered by sea breezes.
The basic climate and weather patterns are essentially dictated by the prevailing winds and these of course are linked to the monsoon cycles which can be quite pronounced and strong.
There are effectively three seasons in the Philippines:
June to September is the rainy season. This is also typhoon season and this is also known as the habagat or southwest monsoon. The monsoon starts about May and will run through to October, and the strength var ies between years. In the Philippines typhoons are also called bagyo. There are on average about 19 tropical cyclones or storms within the Philippine Area of Responsibility in any year and approximately 6 to 9 actually make landfall. Some are Category 5 and the Philippines has been devastated by these super typhoons with significant loss of life and damage, along with serious floods.
October to February it is relatively cool and dry time of the year. The amihan or northeast monsoon runs from November up until to about the beginning of May.
All About Climate of the Philippines
March to May is the dry season with pleasant cool evenings. For the majority of the Philippines the dry season falls during what is called the amihan period.
The annual rainfall for the Philippines is over 1,000 mm in most locations which is quite high.
The relatively moist and warm Pacific air pushes over the coastal mountains and ranges and in places the annual rainfall can exceed 4,000 to 5,000 mm (that is a staggering 160 to 200 inches!!).
The coastlines facing the northeast are the most exposed to these Pacific trade winds in the period November through March and subsequently see their heaviest rainfalls around this period
The temperatures are quite high for most of the year and it is cooler in the mountains but excessive heat levels are relatively uncommon
Perhaps the worst climate feature apart from typhoons, is the very high humidity and cloud cover that occurs in the rainy season. For many of these days the weather is extremely muggy and best described as oppressive. However in the dry season the weather is very pleasant, with lots if sunshine that is nicely tempered by coastal sea breezes.
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