Climate vs.

Weather
Climate and weather are not the same.
Weather is what's happening in the atmosphere on a given day, in a specific place. Local forecasts
include temperature, humidity, winds, cloudiness, and prospects for storms or other changes over the
next few days.
Climate is the average of these weather ingredients over many years. Some meteorologists say that
"climate is what you expect; weather is what you get".

A weather sample:
Manila:
SUN 09.02.2014
Few clouds
Max: 33.6°C
Min: 24.2°C
Risk of precip.: 20 %
Wind 10.8 km/h ENE
Gusts up 19.4 km/h

A climate sample:
Metro Manila has a tropical savanna climate with dry winters.
Over the course of a year, the temperature typically varies from 22°C in January to 34°C in May.
The sky is cloudiest in August and clearest in April.
Precipitation is most likely in July and least likely in April.
The relative humidity typically ranges from 51% (mildly humid) to 97% (very humid). The air is driest
in April and most humid in August.

The 4 climates
The Climate of the Philippines is either tropical rainforest, tropical savanna or tropical monsoon, or
humid subtropical (in higher-altitude areas) characterized by relatively high temperature, oppressive
humidity and plenty of rainfall.
There are two seasons in the country, the wet season and the dry season, based upon the amount of
rainfall. This is dependent as well on your location in the country as some areas experience rain all
throughout the year (see Climate Types).
The seven warmest months of the year are from March to October. The winter monsoon brings cooler
air from November to February. May is the warmest month, and January, the coolest.
There are four recognized climate types in the Philippines, and they are based on the distribution of
rainfall. They are described as follows:

Type I.. Two pronounced season: dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year.
Type II. No dry season with a pronounced rainfall from November to January.
Type III. Seasons are not very pronounced, relatively dry from November to April, and wet during the
rest of the year.
Type IV. Rainfall is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year.
There are three recognized seasons: Tag-init or Tag-araw (the hot season or summer from March to
May), Tag-ulan (the rainy season from June to November), and Taglamig (the cold season from
December to February).
The humid southwest monsoon (May-October) is known as "Habagat". The cool and dry winds of the
northeast monsoon (November April) are called "Amihan".
These seasons can seriously get mixed up by the El Niño / La Niña effects. El Niño brings dry
weather and even droughts. La Niña stands for rainy weather and floods.

Giant bodies of air called air masses are always moving and bumping into each other. Cold air and warm
air do not mix easily because they have different densities. Instead, a boundary forms between these air
masses. This bounday which separates the two air masses is called a front.
An air mass is a large volume of air that is relatively uniform (horizontally) in temperature and water vapor
concentration over hundreds of kilometers. Air masses are generally identified with the regions over which
they develop. Two examples are continental polar and maritime tropical air masses. While air masses can
persist over their formative regions for a considerable length of time, they often move across regions. As air
masses move from one region to another, the air mass characteristics are modified by the underlying
suface. For instance, as cold, dry "arctic air" moves over an ocean surface it gains heat and moisture.
Major weather changes occur along the boundaries between the different air masses. In reality, these
boundaries are transition zones that for practical purposes can be considered as discontinuities or frontal
surfaces. Owing to the general circulation of the air, the frontal surfaces are in equilibrium whenever they
form a small angle with the horizontal. A frontal surface may therefore be defined as a transition-boundary
separating two air masses of contrasting properties (temperature and humidity). Simply put, fronts form
when one kind of air mass enters an area occupied by another kind of air mass.
n the Philippines, Amihan and Habagat refer to the two kinds of winds and
seasonsthat occur in the country every year.
Amihan is known as the Northeast monsoon while Habagat is known as the
Southwest monsoon.
A monsoon is a seasonal rain and wind pattern. "Monsoon" is from the Arabic
word, "mawsim" which means season.

A switch in wind direction is the primary indicator for the change between one
monsoon to the other. It usually takes place during nighttime.
At some periods, the two monsoons switch several times before settling into a
pattern for the season. Amihan and Habagat are also characters in
Philippine mythology.

Amihan is the Northeast Monsoon

Amihan is the Filipino term of

Northeast monsoon, which is a cool and dry northeast wind coming from Siberia
and China and blows down to Southeast Asia. This season is characterized
with slight to moderate rainfall and a prevailing cold wind that affects east of the
Philippines. The monsoon commonly occurs from October to late March,
although occurrence may vary every year.

High peak season in the Philippines is during the amihan season since it
brings the best weather conditions. The air is cool, there is less rain, and
humidity is low, plus the sunshine is less threatening. Northeast monsoon
contributes to colder Christmas nights which gives a better ambience fit for the
festive season.
If you're up for a vacation during this season, it is best to pack warmer clothes
for the cool evenings along with your tropical outfits.

Habagat is the Southwest Monsoon

Habagat, on the other hand, is

the southwest wind characterized by frequent heavy rainfall and humid weather.
During Southwest monsoon or hanging Habagat, the high-pressure area is at
the Australian continent, and the low-pressure area is at North China, Mongolia,
and Siberia. The gusty winds from the west and excessive rainfall often turn to
dangerous typhoons.

While the rain may ease farmers to irrigate the rice fields, the heavy rainfall may
trigger floods, landslides, and potentially endanger residents living near
riverbanks. The typhoons that habagat brings, unfortunately, cause millions,
sometimes billions, worth of reconstruction damage and kill hundreds of
Filipinos.

The southwest monsoon affects the country from late June to October
(occurrence may also vary each year). Low season in the Philippines occurs
during the habagat season because of frequent rainfall and high humidity. A
series of flash floods and landslides are regular incidents during this season. If
you're planning to take a vacation during this time, you may want to bring
rainwear with you.
What is north Pacific trade?
the NORTH PACIFIC TRADE is the southern portion of the north pacific anticyclone.It moves
in the north pacific ocean.This air mass is generally prominent over the entire Philippines in
April and early may and over the central Philippines and southern Philippines in October.
Tail End of a Cold Front
The Cold Front is an area in the atmosphere where masses of warm and cold air converge, resulting
in thunderstorms. Ordinarily the Axis of the Cold Front is in the level of Taiwan or Japan. The only
part that is affecting the Philippines is its tail end.

Easterly Wave
The Easterly Wave, also known as Easterlies, are winds coming from the Pacific Ocean, bringing warm
and humid air. PAGASA said that the easterly wave could prevail during the month of October before
the northeast monsoon (amihan) breaks in. The eastern parts of the country are most likely to
experience its effect: thunderstorms and isolated rain showers.

2 Tropical Cyclones this month

Because of the El Niño phenomenon, the average tropical cyclones that are likely to enter the
Philippine Area of Responsibility this month are between 1-2. Normally, October has an average of 2
to 3 tropical cyclones.

Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

The ITCZ is an area in the atmosphere where winds from the Southern and Northern Hemispheres
meet—a convergence that contributes to cloud formation. According to PAGASA, the axis of ITCZ is
erratic, so it may affect any part of the country, usually bringing cloudy skies and light to moderate
rain showers.

Low Pressure Area

The LPA is an area that has a lower atmospheric pressure than its surrounding locations. This is
usually formed in the Pacific Ocean where most water vapor is available. LPA brings light to
moderate and sometimes, heavy rain showers. This could also intensify into a tropical cyclone.

Giant bodies of air called air masses are always moving and bumping into each other. Cold air and warm
air do not mix easily because they have different densities. Instead, a boundary forms between these air
masses. This bounday which separates the two air masses is called a front.
An air mass is a large volume of air that is relatively uniform (horizontally) in temperature and water vapor
concentration over hundreds of kilometers. Air masses are generally identified with the regions over which
they develop. Two examples are continental polar and maritime tropical air masses. While air masses can
persist over their formative regions for a considerable length of time, they often move across regions. As air
masses move from one region to another, the air mass characteristics are modified by the underlying
suface. For instance, as cold, dry "arctic air" moves over an ocean surface it gains heat and moisture.
Major weather changes occur along the boundaries between the different air masses. In reality, these
boundaries are transition zones that for practical purposes can be considered as discontinuities or frontal
surfaces. Owing to the general circulation of the air, the frontal surfaces are in equilibrium whenever they
form a small angle with the horizontal. A frontal surface may therefore be defined as a transition-boundary
separating two air masses of contrasting properties (temperature and humidity). Simply put, fronts form
when one kind of air mass enters an area occupied by another kind of air mass.