Rains affect western section of Luzon

The Southwest Monsoon, warm and moist air coming from the Indian Ocean has slightly weakened in the absence of a weather disturbance surrounding the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

But today, it still affects the western section of Northern and Central Luzon, bringing cloudy skies with light to moderate rains in Ilocos Region, Zambales and Bataan.

In the rest of Luzon including Metro Manila, down to Visayas and Mindanao, partly cloudy to cloudy skies will prevail with possible isolated rain shower and thunderstorms.

The country will remain storm-free in the next two to three days.

Question of the Day
Panahon TV follower Gerby Flores asked: “Ilang bagyo ang papasok kapag August?” (How many tropical cyclones will enter or develop this August?)

According to PAGASA Weather Forecaster Gener Quitlong, two to four tropical cyclones may enter or develop in PAR this month based on climatological records.

These tropical cyclones’ track may be a hit or miss. If these weather disturbances hit the landmass, it may make landfall in Northern Luzon.

There are a lot of theories on how the Moon came to being. But one of the most accepted theories is that it was formed from debris that resulted from a collision between Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia. This collision caused a big chunk of mass to eject from Earth which later on cooled down and then became the Moon.

Our Moon, which is the fifth largest Moon in the Solar System, was given names by several cultures and tribes, one of which is “Bulan” given by the Malays, which is close to how Filipinos call the moon as “Buwan”. Because the Greeks named it “Selene” a titan and their moon goddess, the study of the Moon’s geology is called Selenology.

You might wonder why the Moon looks different every night. This is because as the Earth revolves around the Sun, the light reflected to the Moon varies everyday. This phenomenon creates the phases of the Moon.

Because our Moon is massive, its gravitational pull affects bodies of water during certain phases. This affects the tides, but most importantly the lives of people living near the bodies of water.

Tides and Their Effects on Fishing

Due to the combined gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun, tides occur. Still the Moon is the major force behind tides because it is nearer to the Earth. Tides are periodic short-term changes in the height of the water surface in a particular place.

During the falling fide is the best time of day to catch fish. This occurs when the tide changes from high tide to low tide. The faster the water is moving out, the better the fishing. This is because the fish take advantage of this time to feed on the smaller fish being pushed out to the sea. Meanwhile, high tide is not ideal for fishing because of the rise in sea level.

Tides affect, not only fishing, but also sea travel. Just before a low tide occurs, sea vessels are moved to shallow spots to avoid them from getting hauled into the coastlines. Many marine animals and plants also benefit from the tides. The daily ebb sweeps nutrients from the shallows, moving the juvenile fish from seashore nurseries to the deep ocean.

The pulling of the seas toward the Moon not only affects seawater depths along the coasts, but also the Earth’s rotation, slowed down by what is called tidal friction. The movement of the bulge of tidal water across the oceans and its attraction to the Moon acts as a brake on the Earth’s rotation. As a result, the length of a day increases.

Perhaps the most important effect of the Moon is the way it stabilizes our rotation. When the Earth rotates, it wobbles slightly back and forth on its axis. Without the Moon, we’d be wobbling much more.

Psychological Effects of the Moon

From the word Luna, the Roman Goddess of the Moon, the word “lunatic” was formed. Since the phases of the Moon have a great effect on the bodies of water, Greek philosopher Aristotle suggested that because the brain is the “moistest” organ in the body, it is more susceptible to the pernicious influence of the moon. Agreeing to this is Miami psychiatrist Arnold Lieber who conjectured that since the human body is about 80% water, the moon works its mischievous magic by disrupting the alignment of water molecules in the nervous system.

This is why strange mass behavior is attributed to the presence of a Full Moon. In Europe during the Middle Ages, “Lunar Lunacy” was also known as the “Transylvania effect”, wherein some believe that certain humans transformed into werewolves or vampires during a Full Moon.

Even today, the Full Moon is associated with strange events, such as increased cases of suicides, homicides, psychiatric hospital admission, emergency room calls, traffic accidents, local fights, and animal bites.

Sleep Deprivations

A small study in 2013 by Chrono-biologist and Sleep Researcher Christian Cajochen at the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel in Switzerland was conducted. Out of 33 volunteer adults, all of them slept less during the Full Moon even when they were not aware of the current lunar phase. But a year later, a broad review of sleep-moon research done by scientists at the Max-Plank Institute of Psychiatry in Germany, found no statistically significant correlation between lunar cycle and sleep.

More recently, a research was published on March 2016 by the Frontiers in Pediatrics from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Ottawa, Canada. More than 5,800 children aged 9 to 11 were analyzed in 12 different countries. The children about 5 minutes less on nights with a Full Moon. This is “unlikely to be important” from a health perspective, the researchers said, but is definitely interesting. Though the brightness of the Full Moon may be the reason for the decreased sleep, researchers doubted this suggestion because of the proliferation of artificial light these days.

Suicides and Homicides

There have been reported cases of an increased crime rate at an event of a Full Moon. A study was conducted in India on 1978 to 1982 by Dr. Siraj Misbahm a neurologist. He randomly selected 3 police stations—one rural, one urban and one industrial in Bihar, Northern India. These three police stations are at least 300 kilometers apart. Gathered data suggested that crimes committed on Full Moon Days were much higher than on all other days.

Psychiatric Hospital Admissions

A study in 2014 led by Varinder Parmar of Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada looked at psychiatric emergency-department visits 6 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours before and after a Full Moon. During the 6 hours before and after a full moon, data showed significantly more patients with personality disorders as well as those who needed more urgent care were admitted to the hospital. However, fewer patients with anxiety disorders showed up during the 12 hours and 24 hours prior to and following the Full Moon.

We cannot argue that the Moon plays an important part in our daily lives. A lot of mysteries have yet to been proven about our satellite but until then, take time to appreciate its beauty and its many phases.

By Panahon TV Reporter Patrick Christoffer Obsuna.

Related articles:

Ten Things You Need to Know about the Moon

Five Things You Should Know When the Moon is Full

Moonstruck: A Closer Look at our Lunar Fascination

On the first day of June 2017, United States President Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement, a global effort that aims to limit carbon emission. This decision has caused quite a stir, especially since the US is the second largest carbon emitter in the world. Despite this, the Philippines, together with more than a hundred nations, continue its fight against climate change.

As citizens of a country exposed and vulnerable to the effects of climate change, we need to understand it better. Here are answers to some of the frequently-asked questions about climate change:

1. What’s the difference between climate change and global warming?

These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but refer to different things. Global warming is the long-term warming of the planet. The average global surface temperature has crawled up by about 0.8 degrees Celsius relative to the mid-20th century baseline.

Climate Change includes global warming, and talks about the broader range of changes in our planet, which include rising sea levels, shrinking glaciers and the melting of ice in Greenland, Antarctica and the Arctic. All of these are the consequences of the warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

2. What’s the difference between weather and climate?

Weather refers to the local changes in short timescales and is basically what you see outside on any particular day. This can change from minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day or season to season.

Meanwhile, climate refers to the general weather pattern in a specific area that involves temperature, humidity, rainfall, air pressure and other meteorological variables over a long period of time. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) defines this as the average weather condition based on 30 years of observation.

3. What is the Greenhouse Effect?

The Greenhouse Effect is the process in which heat gets trapped in the surface of the Earth because of too much concentration of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides. These gases blanket the planet, making it much warmer.

Greenhouse gases keep our planet liveable because without these, the Earth will be an icy planet. Despite being a natural part of the atmosphere, the level of these gases, especially carbon dioxide, has been rising consistently for decades because of human activities. More heat is trapped, leading to higher temperatures.

Rising temperatures contribute to the intensity of tropical cyclones, and the increased duration and amount of rain, extreme drought and habitat loss for various species.

4. Do scientists agree on climate change?

Yes. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the vast majority of climate scientists or about 97% agree that humans are causing climate change. Moreover, most of the leading science organizations around the world have issued public statements confirming the existence of climate change and global warming.

NOAA added that some scientists that reject the idea are not experts on climate or do not understand the scientific basis of long-term climate processes.

5. Are volcanoes related to climate change?

When volcanic eruption occurs around every 20 years, this causes a massive release of particles and other gases.
This event leads to global cooling where droplets of sulphur-rich aerosols reflect sunlight from the Earth—just like when Mount Pinatubo erupted on 1991 where an estimated 20 million tons of sulphur dioxide and ash particles shot up to more than 20 kilometers into the atmosphere. NASA noted that over the next 15 months, scientists measured an average global temperature decrease of about 0.6 degrees Celsius since the eruption.

6. Can climate change trigger earthquakes?

Some scientists and geologists claim that changes in seasonal rainfall and their frequency contribute to the occurrence of earthquakes. However, scientific evidence is not enough to support this.

Shankar Nath of the Indian Institute of Technology at West Bengal said climate change has no impact on the incidence of earthquakes. Supporting this is Sunanda Bandapadhyay, a geographer from Calcutta University, who believes that the recent human-induced acceleration in global temperatures is insufficient to have any noticeable impact on the Earth’s tectonic processes that cause earthquakes. The impact of climate change on tectonic activities is still an ongoing debate.

Sources:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
www.thethirdpole.net

Warm Weather on Rizal’s Birth Anniversary

The Ridge of a High Pressure Area (HPA) continues to bring generally fair weather in the country. This weather system suppresses cloud formation, causing lesser chance of rains. As it prevails today, partly cloudy to cloudy skies prevail in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao though isolated rain showers and thunderstorms are still possible.

In an interview with PAGASA Weather Forecaster Samuel Duran, he mentioned that no weather disturbance is expected to affect the country within the next two to three days.

Non-working Holiday

While it’s a back-to-work Monday in most areas of the country, some provinces are enjoying an extended vacation today. These include Ifugao, which celebrates its provincial foundation anniversary, and Laguna, the birthplace of Dr. Jose Rizal whose birth we commemorate today.

Here are expected weather conditions and temperatures in these areas:

Moderate rains continue in Palawan

The Southwest Monsoon, locally known as Habagat continues to affect the eastern section of Luzon.

As this weather system prevails, Palawan will continue to experience light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms. In the rest of the country including Metro Manila, partly cloudy to cloudy skies will prevail only with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

With rains concentrated in Palawan, humid weather is still expected to prevail in most parts of the country.

Get to Know Habagat
Every year, when the rainy season begins, Habagat begins to affect the country. Due to its warm and moist characteristics, Habagat causes monsoon rains that could last for a couple of days or even a week. Here are things you must know about this weather system:

A new weather disturbance was spotted outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

At 4:00 AM today, the Low Pressure Area (LPA) was located at 525 kilometers southeast of General Santos City. PAGASA Weather Forecaster Benison Estareja said that this weather disturbance is not expected to enter PAR. However, its advancing clouds are bringing rains in some parts of Mindanao.

Cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and isolated thunderstorms are expected in the regions of Davao, Soccsksargen, ARMM and the Zamboanga peninsula.

Meanwhile, the extended part of High Pressure Area is bringing generally fair weather in Luzon, Visayas and the rest of Mindanao. Partly cloudy to cloudy skies will prevail only with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening.

Generally fair weather prevails today. According to PAGASA Weather Forecaster Chris Perez, partly cloudy to cloudy skies will affect the archipelago only with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening as Easterlies, or warm and humid air from the Pacific Ocean, dominates.

Perez said, warm and humid weather is still expected today and heat index can soar up to 39.6 degrees Celsius.

If this good weather continues, we can enjoy various festivals this month.

In the Philippines, each city or municipality has a local festival of its own. The celebration includes the feast of the town’s patron saint, as well as an abundance of local products. Some of the festivals celebrated in May are the Bawang Festival of Ilocos province, the Hundred Islands Festival in Pangasinan, the Pahiyas Festival in Quezon, and the Flores de Mayo in almost every town.

Photo from PanahonTV Live Producer Paul Michael Caisip

The fair weather won’t spoil your long weekend vacation.
 
Today, the Easterlies or warm and humid air from the Pacific Ocean,continues to affect the eastern sections of the country. Because of this weather system, the whole country will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies, except for isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening.
 
According to PAGASA Weather Forecaster Gener Quitlong, no weather disturbance is expected to affect the country in the first week of May.
 

Temperatures are also expected to soar. Perceived body heat in Metro Manila may reach up to 40 degrees Celsius while a scorching 38 degrees Celsius is expected in Cebu and Davao.
 

Weather plays an important role in our lives. By monitoring the weather, we are equipped to handle our routines and are prepared for possible hazards.

But in this day and age where ideas can be disseminated with the click of a mouse, it’s our responsibility to verify before sharing them. To get you started, here are some weather myths that need to be debunked.

1) Climate and weather are the same.

This is one of the most common weather misconceptions that can be clarified by understanding one important factor – time.

Weather refers to the condition of the atmosphere over a short period of time. It is what we experience when we step outside on any day: sunny, windy, cloudy, rainy or stormy. Climate, on the other hand, refers to how the atmosphere behaves over a relatively long period of time, usually 30 years or more.

2) Lightning never strikes the same place twice.

Originating from an idiom which means that a highly unlikely incident can never happen to the same person twice, this myth–when taken seriously— can actually lead to misfortune.
The truth is that tall, pointed, isolated objects can generate strong electric fields that can be repeatedly struck by lightning.

In the Philippines for example, lightning has struck the Metro Rail Transit lines thrice in the past years, halting operations. In fact, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) explained that cloud-to-ground lightning frequently strikes the ground in two or more places. The chances of being struck are about 45% higher than what most of us commonly assume.

3) Sun + Rains = Tikbalang Wedding

According to Philippine folklore, whenever rains fall while the sun is shining, it means that a mythical creature called tikbalang (a half-human, half horse trickster that hangs out in the forests and mountains, leading travelers astray) is being wed.

PAGASA explains that both sunshine and rain may occur at the same time during the Hot and Dry Season. Called “sun showers”, this happens when the ground surface heats up, resulting to a vertical movement of warm air. This forms clouds that bring precipitation while the sun is at a 30-degree angle from the earth. This weather phenomenon most likely occurs in the months of March, April and May.

4) There is summer in the Philippines.

Summer vacations, summer adventures and summer getaways are some phrases we off-handedly use during school break from March to May. do you know that there is no summer here in the country?

According to PAGASA, the Philippines, being a tropical country, has only two official seasons – wet and dry. A season refers to the time of the year caused by the tilting of the Earth. 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.

In Philippine context, the Hot and Dry Season is the equivalent of summer. This marks the start of warm and humid days.