Located close to the equator and considered as a tropical country, the Philippines generally has hot and humid weather, though rainfall is pronounced in certain areas. It has two major seasons: dry season which is experienced from December to May and wet or rainy season from June to November.

Three factors affect the weather and climate of a particular area. These are temperature, which refers to how warm or cool the environment is, humidity, or the amount of moisture in the atmosphere, and precipitation which refers to the amount of rainfall.

These are the types of climate in the country based on rainfall distribution:

• Type 1 - two distinct seasons: dry (November-May) and wet (June-October)

                     - prevalent in northwest Luzon including Metro Manila, Palawan, Iloilo, Negros, and lower part of Antique

• Type 2 - no distinct dry season

                     - rainy season is experienced from November-January

                     - prevalent in Bicol, eastern Mindanao, northern and eastern Samar, and southern Leyte

• Type 3 - dry season from November-April

                     - prevalent in central Luzon and Visayas

• Type 4 - even distribution of rainfall throughout the year

                - prevalent in the eastern coast of Luzon, Leyte, Bohol, and western parts of Mindanao

Situated at the typhoon belt, the Philippines has to endure the impact of more than 20 typhoons that strike annually, with the high typhoon season from June to October. Typhoons cross the country in a northwestern direction, so almost all parts of the Philippines experience the onslaught of typhoons except Mindanao. Filipino names (in alphabetical order) are used to identify typhoons that strike the country.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) keeps track of typhoons that enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility. PAGASA is likewise responsible for declaring the typhoon signal in a particular area or region.

PAGASA uses four typhoon signals:

• Signal No. 1 – winds of 30 to 60 kph, intermittent heavy rains

• Signal No. 2 – typhoon is likely to hit an area within 24 hours, winds of 60 to 100 kph, heavy floods may occur in low areas

• Signal No. 3 – typhoon is expected to hit within 18 hours, winds of 100 to 185 kph

• Signal No. 4 – typhoon is expected to hit within 12 hours, winds of more than 186 kph, heavy floods and rains

Both climate and weather play a role in our daily activities, especially when it comes to planning our trips. Hence, it is important to determine the atmospheric conditions of a certain area at the time of the year that you plan to visit it so you would know what to expect as well as the things that you can do in case of weather changes.