SCIENCE

• The Philippines has two kinds of seasons: the dry season and the wet season
• Dry season


  Characterized by hot and cloudless days between January and May, with occasional rain showers
• Wet season


  Characterized by a pronounced rainy season with thunderstorms, starting in June and peaking in July to September
• The Philippines is located a little north of the equator, which is the main factor for having only two seasons
• Prevailing winds


  The southwest monsoon (habagat) from May to October, and the northeast monsoon (amihan) from November to early May
• Typhoons are common in the Philippines from June to November, mainly passing over Luzon and Visayas
• Tropical cyclone


  The generic term for an intense circulating weather system over the seas and oceans, accompanied by strong winds, heavy rains, and large ocean waves
• Classifications of tropical cyclones

  • Tropical depression
  • Tropical storm
  • Severe tropical storm
  • Typhoon
  • Super typhoon
• Public storm warning signals


  Signals 1 to 5, indicating the expected wind speeds in the next 12-24 hours
• Effects of typhoons


  • Floods
  • Flash floods
  • Storm surges
  • Strong/high winds
  • Extreme rainfall and inland flooding
• Understanding seasons, climate, and weather patterns helps in planning activities, preparing for health issues, and managing crop growth
• The strongest and most destructive typhoon recorded in the Philippines is Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), which caused 6,300 fatalities and 95.5 billion pesos in damage
• It is not possible to have snow in the Philippines, but hailstones can occur in some circumstances