| Category | Sustained winds |
|---|---|
| Super typhoon (STY) | ≥185 km/h ≥100 knots |
| Typhoon (TY) | 118–184 km/h 64–99 knots |
| Severe tropical storm (STS) | 89–117 km/h 48–63 knots |
| Tropical storm (TS) | 62–88 km/h 34–47 knots |
| Tropical depression (TD) | ≤61 km/h ≤33 knots |
ThePhilippines is atyphoon-prone country, with approximately twenty tropical cyclones entering itsarea of responsibility per year. Locally known generally asbagyo ([bɐgˈjoʔ]),[3] typhoons regularly form in thePhilippine Sea and less often, in theSouth China Sea, with the months of June to September being the most active, August being the month with the most activity. Each year, at least ten typhoons are expected to hit the island nation, with five expected to be destructive and powerful.[4] In 2013,Time declared the country as the "most exposed country in the world to tropical storms".[5]
Typhoons typically make an east-to-west route in the country, heading north or west due to theCoriolis effect. As a result,landfalls occur in theregions of the country that face thePacific Ocean, especiallyEastern Visayas,Bicol Region, and northernLuzon,[5] whereasMindanao is largely free of typhoons.Climate change is likely to worsen the situation, with extreme weather events including typhoons posing various risks and threats to the Philippines.[6]
Super Typhoon Yolanda, internationally known asTyphoon Haiyan, is the deadliest typhoon to have affected the country in recorded history, killing more than 6,300 people as it crossed theVisayas region in November 2013. The strongest typhoon to make landfall in the country, as well as the strongesttropical cyclone landfall worldwide wasSuper Typhoon Rolly, internationally known asTyphoon Goni, which struckCatanduanes in November 2020 with 1-minute sustained winds of 315 km/h (195 mph). The wettest known tropical cyclone to impact the archipelago was the July 14–18, 1911cyclone which dropped over 2,210 millimetres (87 in) of rainfall within a 3-day, 15-hour period in the northern city ofBaguio.[7] Tropical cyclones usually account for at least 30 percent of the annual rainfall in the northern Philippines while being responsible for less than 10 percent of the annual rainfall in the southern islands. According to thePhilippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in 2016, the number of destructive typhoons the country experienced annually have increased, but notes that it is too early to call it a trend.[4]
PAGASA is the state weather agency of the Philippines. Yearly, the agency gives a local name to the typhoons that enter its area of responsibility in addition to the international name given by theJapan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the designatedRegional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC) by theWorld Meteorological Organization (WMO). The state agency also regularly issues weather bulletins and advisories to the public especially during typhoons. It uses afive-point warning scale that are issued to the entirety or parts of theprovinces and localities affected by a typhoon.[8][9]
TheNational Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) is the country's top agency for preparation and response to calamities and natural disasters, including typhoons. Additionally, each province andlocal government units has their ownDisaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO). Each provincial and local government is required to set aside 5% of its annual budget for disaster risk reduction, preparations, and response.[4]
The frequency of typhoons in the Philippines have made typhoons a significant part of everyday ancient and modern Filipino culture.[5]
Bagyo (sometimes spelledbagyu orbagyio[3]) is the word for 'typhoon' or 'storm' in mostPhilippine languages, includingTagalog,Visayan,Ilocano,Bicolano,Hanunó'o,Aklanon,Pangasinan andKapampangan. It is derived fromProto-Austronesian *baRiuS, meaning 'typhoon'.Cognates in otherAustronesian languages includeSamabaliw ('wind'),Amisfaliyos orfarios ('typhoon');Saisiyatbalosh ('typhoon'),Babuzabayus ('storm'),Puyumavariw,Bintulubauy ('wind'),Kelabitbariw ('storm wind'), andChamorropakyo ('typhoon').[10]
TheJoint Typhoon Warning Center in Honolulu started monitoring and naming storms in the Western Pacific region in1945, originally using female names in English alphabetical order. That list was revised in1979 by introducing male names to be used in alternation with the female names.[11] The Philippine Weather Bureau started naming storms within their area of responsibility in 1963, using female Filipino names in the former native alphabetical order. The Bureau continued to monitor typhoons until the agency's abolition in 1972, after which its duties were transferred to the newly establishedPAGASA. This often resulted in a Western Pacific cyclone carrying two names: an international name and a local name used within the Philippines. This two-name scheme is still followed to this day.
In2000, cyclone monitoring duties in the Western Pacific were transferred from the JTWC to theJapan Meteorological Agency, theRSMC of theWorld Meteorological Organization. The international naming scheme of the typhoons was replaced with a sequential list of names contributed by 14 nations in the region, including the Philippines. The new scheme largely uses terms for local features of the contributing nation, such as animals, plants, foods and adjectives in the native language. The rotation of names is based on the alphabetical order of the contributing nations. The Philippines, however, would maintain its own naming scheme for its local forecasts. In2001, PAGASA revised its naming scheme to contain longer annual lists with a more mixed set of names.
Currently, the JMA and PAGASA each assign names to typhoons that form within or enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility. The JMA naming scheme for international use contains 140 names described above. The list is not restricted by year; the first name to be used in a typhoon season is the name after the last-named cyclone of the preceding season.[12] The PAGASA naming scheme for Philippine use contains four lists, each containing twenty-five names arranged in alphabetical order. Every typhoon season begins with the first name in the assigned list, and the rolls of names are each reused every four years. An auxiliary list of ten names is used when the main list in a year had been exhausted.[13] Not all Western Pacific cyclones are given names by both weather agencies, as JMA does not name tropical depressions, and PAGASA does not name cyclones outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility.
In the case of both weather agencies,names are retired after a typhoon that carried it caused severe or costly damage and loss of life. Retirement is decided by the agencies' committees, althoughin PAGASA's case, names are routinely retired when the cyclone caused at least 300 deaths or ₱1 billion in damage in the Philippines. Retired names are replaced with another name for the next rotation, for JMA by the nation that submitted the retired name, and for PAGASA with a name sharing the same first letter as the retired name.
On an annual time scale, activity reaches a minimum in May, before increasing steadily to June, and spiking from July to September, with August being the most active month for tropical cyclones in the Philippines. Activity reduces significantly in October.[14] The most active season, since 1945, for tropical cyclone strikes on the island archipelago was1993 when nineteen tropical cyclones moved through the country (though there were 36 storms that were named by PAGASA).[15] There was only one tropical cyclone which moved through the Philippines in1958.[16] The most frequently impacted areas of the Philippines by tropical cyclones are northern Luzon and eastern Visayas.[17] A ten-year average of satellite determined precipitation showed that at least 30 percent of the annual rainfall in the northern Philippines could be traced to tropical cyclones, while the southern islands receive less than 10 percent of their annual rainfall from tropical cyclones.[18]
| Warning Signal | Meaning |
|---|---|
| TCWS #1 | winds of39–61 km/h (21–33 kn; 24–38 mph) are prevailing or expected to occurwithin 36 hours |
| TCWS #2 | winds of62–88 km/h (33–48 kn; 39–55 mph) are prevailing or expected to occurwithin 24 hours |
| TCWS #3 | winds of89–117 km/h (48–63 kn; 55–73 mph) are prevailing or expected to occurwithin 18 hours |
| TCWS #4 | winds of118–184 km/h (64–99 kn; 73–114 mph) are prevailing or expected to occurwithin 12 hours |
| TCWS #5 | winds of185 km/h (100 kn; 115 mph) or greater are prevailing or expected to occurwithin 12 hours |
PAGASA releases typhoon warnings to the public. Until recently, the warning scale it used was a four-point scale, with Signal #4 being the highest possible warning issued to a locality. However, a fifth warning signal was introduced in the 2010s for powerful typhoons sinceTyphoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in2013. In 2022, PAGASA revised its own definition for a "super typhoon" and its warning signals.[20][9] An area having a storm signal may be under:
These warning signals are usually raised when a locality is about to be hit by a typhoon. As it gains strength and/or gets nearer to an area having a storm signal, the warning may be upgraded to a higher one for that particular area. Conversely, as a tropical cyclone weakens and/or gets farther to an area, it may be downgraded to a lower signal or may be lifted altogether.
Classes in the localities that are under a warning signal are cancelled or suspended depending on how high the signal is:preschool for Signal #1,elementary and below for Signal #2,high school (includingsenior high school) and below for Signal #3, and alleducational levels (includingcolleges anduniversities) for Signal #4 and above. These restrictions apply for both public and private schools in the affected locality, although local governments can declare suspensions and cancellations of classes at their own discretion regardless of the warning signal in force.
The JTWC was already naming tropical cyclones in the Northwest Pacific basin since 1945, before the Philippines did so. Only a few notable storms persisted before 1963. A tropical cyclone assumably impactedNorthern Luzon in July 1911, in which a record-breaking precipitation level was seen inBaguio, with 2,210 mm (87 in) of rainfall being dumped by the storm. In November 1912, atyphoon swept through the central Philippines and "practically destroyed" Tacloban. In Tacloban andCapiz on the island ofPanay, the death toll was 15,000, half the population of those cities at the time.[21]
Typhoon Cobra, also known as "Halsey's Typhoon," was a powerfultropical cyclone that struck theU.S. Pacific Third Fleet east of the Philippines in December 1944, resulting in the deaths of 790 sailors.[22]
In 1963,PAGASA began naming tropical cyclones that enter theirarea of responsibility using female names ending with"ng". During the period 1963 to 1999, the Philippines experienced several typhoons that affected or made landfall. Moreover, this period saw the most active typhoon season in the Philippines ― with 31 typhoons being named by PAGASA ― in1993.
This period saw several notable and deadly typhoons that passed anywhere in the country.Typhoon Patsy (Yoling) of 1970 became one of the deadliest typhoons to strikeMetro Manila.[23]Typhoon Nina (Sisang) in 1987 became one of the strongest typhoons to hit theBicol Region.Typhoon Yunya (Diding) in June 1991 struckLuzon at the time ofthe colossal eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Later in the same year,Tropical Storm Thelma (Uring) became one of the deadliest storms to hit the country, killing just over 5,000 people.
In the beginning of this period, significant changes were seen in the naming of tropical cyclones in the Northwest Pacific ― theJapan Meteorological Agency (JMA), as theRegional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC) of the basin, took over the naming of tropical cyclones by 2000,[12] and the PAGASA revised its naming scheme to contain longer annual lists with a more mixed set of names by 2001. Adjustments in the Philippine cyclone names also occurred in 2005 and in 2021.
The strongest typhoon to make landfall in the country during this time period wasTyphoon Goni (Rolly) in early November 2020, with 1-minute sustained winds of 315 km/h (195 mph).Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) is the most deadly Philippine typhoon during this period, killing more than 6,300 people. Other notable Philippine storms during this period includeTyphoon Ketsana (Ondoy) in September 2009 which became the most devastating tropical cyclone to hitManila,[24] andTyphoon Bopha (Pablo) in December 2012, which became the strongest typhoon on record to hitMindanao.
The Philippines is reeling from Typhoon Man-yi, which displaced hundreds of thousands, caused widespread destruction, and worsened the impact of recent storms, leaving millions in urgent need of aid and recovery support.[25]
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| Rank | Storm | Season | Fatalities | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yolanda (Haiyan) | 2013 | 6,300 | [26] |
| 2 | Uring (Thelma) | 1991 | 5,101–8,000 | [27] |
| 3 | Pablo (Bopha) | 2012 | 1,901 | [27] |
| 4 | "Angela" | 1867 | 1,800 | [28] |
| 5 | Winnie | 2004 | 1,593 | [28] |
| 6 | "October 1897" | 1897 | 1,500 | [28][29] |
| 7 | Nitang (Ike) | 1984 | 1,426 | [30] |
| 8 | Reming (Durian) | 2006 | 1,399 | [28][27] |
| 9 | Frank (Fengshen) | 2008 | 1,371 | [nb 1][31][32] |
| 10 | Sendong (Washi) | 2011 | 1,292–2,546 | [33][34][35] |
| Precipitation | Storm | Location | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | mm | in | |||
| 1 | 2210.0 | 87.01 | July 1911 cyclone | Baguio | [36] |
| 2 | 1854.3 | 73.00 | Pepeng (Parma) (2009) | Baguio | [37] |
| 3 | 1216.0 | 47.86 | Trining (Carla) (1967) | Baguio | [36] |
| 4 | 1116.0 | 43.94 | Iliang (Zeb) (1998) | La Trinidad, Benguet | [38] |
| 5 | 1085.8 | 42.74 | Feria (Utor) (2001) | Baguio | [39] |
| 6 | 1077.8 | 42.43 | Lando (Koppu) (2015) | Baguio | [37] |
| 7 | 1012.7 | 39.87 | Igme (Mindulle) (2004) | [40] | |
| 8 | 902.0 | 35.51 | Dante (Kujira) (2009) | [41] | |
| 9 | 879.9 | 34.64 | September 1929 typhoon | Virac, Catanduanes | [42] |
| 10 | 869.6 | 34.24 | Openg (Dinah) (1977) | Western Luzon | [43] |
| Rank | Storm | Season | Damage | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHP | USD | ||||
| 1 | Yolanda (Haiyan) | 2013 | ₱95.5 billion | $2.15 billion | [44] |
| 2 | Odette (Rai) | 2021 | ₱51.7 billion | $1.01 billion | [45] |
| 3 | Glenda (Rammasun) | 2014 | ₱38.6 billion | $771 million | [46] |
| 4 | Pablo (Bopha) | 2012 | ₱36.9 billion | $724 million | [47] |
| 5 | Ompong (Mangkhut) | 2018 | ₱33.9 billion | $627 million | [48] |
| 6 | Pepeng (Parma) | 2009 | ₱27.3 billion | $591 million | [49] |
| 7 | Ulysses (Vamco) | 2020 | ₱20.2 billion | $420 million | [50] |
| 8 | Kristine (Trami) | 2024 | ₱18.4 billion | $373 million | [51] |
| 9 | Rolly (Goni) | 2020 | ₱17.9 billion | $371 million | [50] |
| 10 | Egay (Doksuri) | 2023 | ₱14.8 billion | $267 million | [52] |
Effects of storms impacting the Philippines:
most active typhoon season for the philippines.
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