Weather and Climate in the Philippines
What are weather and climate? Do they mean different or the same things? Weather is the combined effects of the interaction of the sun and air. It is the general state of the atmosphere at a given time in a particular place express in terms of the most significant weather factor. [Integrated Science: Frontiers]. In the Philippines, the significant weather factors considered are cloudiness, rainfall and wind. While, climate refers to the average long-term weather (at least 30 years) of an area. It is a region atmospheric or weather conditions, seasonal variations and weather extremes averaged over a long period of time [General Science].
Weather and climate play an important role in our daily lives. This is why weather reports are a regular feature in newspapers and broadcast media. From weather reports, we would be able to choose the appropriate clothes to wear and activities we can engage in. Any change in the weather can affect the schedule of work and classes, particularly during a typhoon. Weather forecast has also a big help to the farmers for they can plan ahead in case of drought and to the pilots and drivers to determine if ships can sail, planes can fly or if land travel is safe. Weather also affects the flow of goods and services in a country. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA which monitors and forecast weather disturbances issues regular weather advisory bulletins to enable affected residents to take the necessary precautions.
Often times, the weather is so unpredictable that people become confused and predisposed to certain illness this is because there are many factors which influence weather and climate. One is the Earth’s tilt. It causes the occurrence of seasons, or periods of time marked by a certain kind of weather in different parts of the world. Some places have only two seasons like the Philippines – the wet and dry seasons. Other places have four seasons – spring, summer, autumn and winter. Locations also play a definite role in determining the kind of weather a certain place would have. The latitude and longitude of a place affect the weather. (The Philippine has a tropical weather). For instance, the weather and climate in Baguio are distinct because of the high altitude and lower temperature there. There may be no snow in Baguio but fog occurs frequently. Likewise the weather and climate of a place is affected by the landforms in the vicinity and climate from places farther inland.
