Meteorology Temperature – is the degree of hotness or
coldness on a definite scale of air around us.
Meteorology is the science dealing with
Places near the equator have high
the atmosphere and its phenomena, including both
temperature because they receive direct rays of the
weather and climate.
sun.
The time of the day and time of the year
Weather also affect the air temperature.
Weather is the condition of the atmosphere A thermometer is used to measure air
at a particular place over a short period of time. It temperature. A room thermometer may bear the
can chance from hour to hour and from one day to Fahrenheit, the Celsius scale, or both. Air
another. temperature is typically read in degrees Celsius or
°C while the Fahrenheit scale is mainly used in the
United States.
Climate o Liquid–in–glass
(traditional thermometer) A
Climate refers to the average weather
thermometer has a glass tube sealed
pattern of place over a long period of time (such
at both ends and is partly filled with a
as months and years).
liquid like mercury or alcohol. As the
environment becomes hotter, the
liquid inside the thermometer
Weather Components and the expands causing a rise of the liquid
Weather instruments level in the glass tube.
o An infrared thermometer
(non-contact thermometer) is a
WIND – is the movement of air parallel to thermometer which measures
Earth’s surface. temperature from a specific surface
A wind vane is a device that tells the portion of the object at a safe
direction of the wind. (Four directions: North, distance. The thermometer will
East, West, and South). compare the heat emitted by the
object with its surroundings.
An anemometer measures wind speed. The
cups catch the wind, turning a dial attached to the
instrument. The dial shows the wind speed. The
Pressure – is the weight of force that is
speed of the wind may be fast or slow. Sometimes
produced when something presses or pushes
it blows gently but at other times it blows fast.
against something else.
A barometer is a scientific
HUMIDITY – is the amount of moisture in the instrument that is used to measure air pressure in a
air. certain environment. The level of liquid inside it
will indicate subtle pressure changes caused by
Hygrometer uses a pair of thermometer
weather elements.
where one bulb is open to the air and the other has
a bulb covered in a wet cloth. This cause A rapid drop in atmospheric
evaporation on the wet bulb and loss of heat thus a pressure means that a low-pressure system is
drop in temperature reading. The relative humidity arriving. Low pressure means that there is not
can then be derived from the temperature different enough force or pressure, to push clouds or storms
between the two thermometers. away. Low-pressure systems are associated with
cloudy, rainy, or windy weather. A rapid increase
in atmospheric pressure pushes that cloudy and
rainy weather out, clearing the skies and bringing known as a weather disturbance. A weather
in cool, dry air. disturbance is a term used to describe a change in
atmospheric conditions or weather patterns.
Precipitation – is the water that falls into the Weather disturbances are common in the
ground as rain, snow etc. Philippines due to its nearness to the equator that
causes wind convergence.
Rain Gauge it measures the
amount of rain that has fallen over a very specific Because we are surrounded by
time period. bodies of water, we are prone to weather
disturbances. Our nearness to the Pacific Ocean,
which lies on the eastern side of our country, is
the most significant contributor to weather
Cloud – formation is a visible mass of particles disturbances in our country. With that, our country
of condensed vapour suspended in the atmosphere is mostly visited by tropical cyclones.
of a planet.
Weather Disturbances
Kind of Clouds A tropical cyclone is a weather disturbance
characterized by a big mass of wind and rain
whirling around a center of low pressure called the
1. Cirrus Clouds – they are like whit and ‘eye’.
thin feathers. They appear high up in the sky.
Tropical cyclones have different names
around the world depending on where they are.
2. Stratus Clouds – they are flat layers of In the Atlantic/Eastern Pacific
clouds. They appear grayish or bluish because Oceans, they are known as hurricanes, while in the
they are low and thick enough to hide the sun. Western Pacific, they are called typhoons. In the
They often turn to drizzle or light rain. Indian Ocean, they are recognized as cyclones.
Tropical cyclones form when warm air
moves over the surface of the ocean, creating a
3. Cumulus Clouds – they appear in fine massive amount of water vapour. As it rises, the
and sunny weather. They appear like cotton. water vapour is cooled. Clouds are formed when
water vapour condenses. Heat is released into the
atmosphere as it does. This heat warms the
4. Nimbus Clouds – they are called rain atmosphere, causing the air to become lighter and
clouds. They appear in big heaps of heavy clouds continue to rise into the atmosphere. As the
they bring heavy rains and thunderstorms. They warmed air rises, it is replaced by moist air rising
make the sky dark and look heavy. from below. The subsequent heat releases
generates strong winds, which fuel the storm.
Tropical cyclones weaken as they land, not
because of a mountain or a building blocks them,
but because the loss of their source of heat, which
is warm air from the ocean, reduces their wind
speed. Weather disturbances are also known as
natural disasters because they can cause havoc on
Weather Disturbances roads, power lines, and buildings.
A temperature difference between the air
And the surface creates a swirling mass of winds
Seasons in the Philippines
Weather and climate are different from
season.
Seasons such as summer, autumn, winter,
and spring occur in some parts of the Earth.
In the Philippines, we only have two
seasons:
Wet season (rainy season): June to
November.
Dry season: December to May
The Philippines has two seasons only. This
is due to the fact that the Earth’s titled axis does
A s t h e not Eaffect the
a amount
r of direct
t sunlight
h it receivesr e
from the sun.
The seasons in the country are caused by:
some areas of the planet experience various
changes. These may include changes in 1. Its location on the equator
temperature, length of day and night, and amount Since the Philippines is located just right
of precipitation (such as rain and snow). above the equator, it receives direct heat from the
When the North Pole tilts towards the sun, sun throughout the year. This is the reason why
it is summer season in most parts of the Northern we experience relatively high temperature, high
Hemisphere. During this time, the Northern humidity and abundant rainfall year-round. The
Hemisphere receives the most direct sunlight and sun’s heat also speeds up the evaporation process
experience little to no precipitation (rain or snow) in surrounding water bodies. This results to
at all. Daytime is longer than night time. infrequent to frequent rainfall all throughout the
country.
When the North Pole tilts away from the
sun, it is winter season is most parts of the
Northern Hemisphere. During this time, the 2. Prevailing Winds
Northern Hemisphere receives less direct sunlight
and experiences frequent precipitation (rain or The Southwest Monsoon (or Hanging
snow). Night time is longer than day time. Habagat) and Northeast Monsoon (Hanging
Amihan ) also contribute to the seasons in the
The seasons in the Northern Hemisphere
Philippines. These prevailing winds blow
are the opposite of those in the Southern
consistently in specific direction and period over
Hemisphere.
particular areas in the country.
The Earth’s axis is titled 23.5 degrees.
The wet or rainy season takes
The earth’s titled axis and revolution place from June to November. Since the
around the sun are the causes of the season Southwest Monsoon brings warm and
experienced by people in certain parts of the moist air, rains become heavier, and
planet. typhoons get stronger during the wet
season. Hanging Habagat blows from the
southwest portion of the country and
causes rains in the western portion of the
country.
The dry season takes place during
the months of December to May. This is
characterized by less and infrequent
rainfall as well as dusty soil. The dry
season is influenced by the Northeast
Monsoon that brings cool and dry air.
Hanging Amihan blows from the northeast
portion of the country and causes slight to
moderate rainfall in the eastern portion of
the country.
Northeast Monsoon
Southwest Monsoon
