×

Swimming, island hopping, surfing and trekking—these are only some of the activities we love to do every summer. But do you know that there is actually no summer here in the Philippines?

Season refers to the time of the year caused by the tilting of the Earth. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) further explains that it is the division of the year based on the recurring astronomical or climatic phenomenon.

However, the location of an area, whether it is in the northern or southern hemisphere, affects its seasons. Other regions have complete seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall. The Philippines, being a tropical country, has only two official seasons – wet and dry.

info gfx 1

Wet Season (Tag-Ulan) – This usually starts in the month of June, wherein the southwest monsoon or habagat becomes the dominant weather system affecting the western section of the country.

Habagat is warm and moist in nature. It can be enhanced by a weather disturbance or tropical cyclone that enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). A surge of habagat could dump moderate to heavy, or heavy to intense rainfall over the affected areas which may persist for hours. The highest rainfall and flooding incidents are usually experienced during this time of the year.

Dry Season (Tag-Init) – In Philippine context, the hot and dry season is the equivalent of summer. This marks the start of warm and humid days in the country. The warm weather is brought by the easterlies and the ridge of a high pressure area. Easterlies are winds coming from the Pacific Ocean, the largest of the oceanic divisions in the world. On the other hand, a ridge or the extended part of a high pressure area (HPA) is associated with good weather. Unlike a low pressure area (LPA), fewer clouds are formed with less chance of precipitation.

Tag-init na ba?

Since the latter part of February, we have been experiencing hotter days, mostly in the early afternoon. According to PAGASA, this is just normal as we approach a new season. The start of “tag-init” normally begins on the first or second week of March. Certain factors are being observed before declaring the official hot and dry season.
These include the consecutive rise of temperatures, termination of the northeast monsoon or amihan, presence of a high pressure area and the prevailing easterlies.

TAG INIT INDICATORS

Last year, the official “tag-init” was declared on March 26, 2014. Based on records, the highest temperature recorded in March last year reached 37.9 degrees Celsius.

info gfx 3

Meanwhile, PAGASA noted that record-breaking hottest temperatures in the Philippines were mostly felt during month of May.

info gfx 4