Name of the Student__________________________________________________

Learning Area/Grade Level: ___________________________________________

Date: ___________________________________

I. INTRODUCTORY CONCEPT

In Grade 7, you have learned about the different layers of the Earth’s
atmosphere. You also learned that in the troposphere you can find most of the
greenhouse gases and clouds. These clouds which is mainly made up of water
vapor is also said to be the most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

These greenhouse gases trap heat (from the sun) and radiates it back to the
ground. The amount of heat on the ground is being transferred from one place to
another with one of the processes called convection. Through this, warm, moist air
combines with cold air which leads to the low-pressure system formation where
tropical cyclones start from.

In this learner’s packet, you will be performing activities to help you determine the
conditions that contribute to the formation of a typhoon.

II. LEARNING SKILLS FROM THE MELC

MELC: Explain how typhoon develops and how it is affected by the landmasses
and bodies of water.

Objectives:
1. Describe a tropical cyclone.
2. Determine the conditions that favors the formation of a tropical cyclone.
3. Explain how typhoon/tropical cyclone forms and develops.

III. ACTIVITIES

A. Elicit

Before you start our lesson, recall some concepts about low-pressure system
by answering the questions below.

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Directions. Read the following statements carefully. Draw a happy emoji if it is
correct and a sad emoji if it is incorrect.

STATEMENT or

1. Air spreads in all direction when heated.

2. As warm air rises, the surrounding air moves

toward it.
3. Warm air is denser than cold air.

4. Clouds and thunderstorm are formed when the

warm air of Intertropical Convergence Zone rises.
5. Convection is the process responsible for the
warm, moist air to combine with cold air that leads
to the low-pressure system formation where
tropical cyclones are initiated.

Now that you’ve recalled some concepts about low pressure system, you
are now ready to learn how typhoon develops.

B. Engage

Our country is located near the equator surrounded by the bodies of

water which favor the formation of a tropical cyclone. It is one of the most
destructive disasters known to man.
Typhoons that enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility become more
frequent and violent, causing great damage and loss to many lives and
properties. But how are they formed? What characteristics do they have? What
is/are the condition/s needed for them to develop?
Find out by performing series of activities.

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Directions. Analyze the pictures below and answer the questions that follow.

Figure 1. Motorists brave rain and strong winds brought about by
typhoon Mangkhut (Ompong). (Photo: AP)
https://www.asianage.com/world/asia/150918/typhoon-mangkhut-brings-heavy-rain-winds-officials-
warn-millions-in-philippines.html
Figure 2. A man walks on a street while strong winds and heavy rain,
brought by typhoon Hagupit, batter Atimonan town, Quezon province,
south of Manila on Dec 8, 2014.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/typhoon-hagupit-kills-at-least-21-in-philippines-red-cross

Questions:

1. What is being shown in the pictures above?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

2. What is common between the two pictures?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

3. Based on your answers above, how will you describe a tropical cyclone?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Typhoon, locally known as “bagyo” is just a category of tropical cyclone. It

is characterized by strong wind and heavy rains.
To understand more about it, perform the next activities.

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 C. Explore

Activity 1: Tropical Cyclone and the Conditions to its

Formation

Directions. The illustration below shows some conditions on how a tropical cyclone
is formed. Analyze it then answer the questions.

Warm, moist air

Figure 3. Tropical Cyclone Formation

QUESTIONS:

A. CONDITIONS ON THE FORMATION OF A TROPICAL CYCLONE

1. What is the minimum temperature required for the tropical cyclone to form?
______________________________________________________________
2. Based on the illustration, give two conditions that favor the formation of the
tropical cyclone.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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 B. PROCESS OF TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION
1. What happens to the warm, moist air on the surface of the ocean?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

2. What kind of air rushes towards the low-pressure area?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3. What happens to the ocean water that evaporates?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
4. What is the role of the Coriolis Effect (the force created by the earth’s rotation
on the tilted axis) to the formation of a tropical
cyclone?_______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
5. As the wind rotates faster, what happens to the Low Pressure
Area?_________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
6. Based on the illustration, how will you explain the formation of a tropical
cyclone?_______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

To understand how a tropical cyclone develops into a typhoon, perform

the next activity.

Activity 2: Weak or Strong!

Directions: The tropical cyclone categories are stated below from weakest to strongest.
Analyze each category and answer the questions.

TROPICAL CYCLONE CATEGORIES

Tropical Depression (TD) is a tropical cyclone with a maximum sustained winds of

up to 64 kilometers per hour.

Tropical Storm (TS) is a tropical cyclone with wind speeds 64 to 118 kilometers per
hour.

Typhoon (TY) is a tropical cyclone with wind speeds 118 to 200 kilometers per
hour.

Super Typhoon (STY) is a tropical cyclone that has maximum sustained winds of
more than 220 kilometers per hour.

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Questions:
1. The development of tropical cyclone may undergo four categories.
Explain how tropical depression develops into a super typhoon.
_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Good job! You have completed the activity. Now, it is time to review and analyze
your answers.

A. Explain

TROPICAL CYCLONE is a system of thunderstorms

that are moving around a center. It is characterized by
heavy rains and strong winds as shown in the pictures
(Engage activity).
The term typhoon is used only in the northwestern
part of the Pacific Ocean. In the northeastern part of the
Pacific Ocean and in the northern part of the Atlantic
Figure 4. A super typhoon as seen from high above the
Ocean, the equivalent term is hurricane. Thus, a hurricane Earth; at the center is the “eye” of the super typhoon.
Image by NASA Earth Observatory

on one side of the Pacific Ocean will be called a typhoon if

it crosses into the other side.
In the Philippines, we use the same word for all categories of tropical
cyclones. We call it bagyo whether it is a tropical depression, a tropical storm or a
typhoon.

How Tropical Cyclones develop?

The tropical cyclone undergoes a process of development called tropical
cyclogenesis. The process involves several conditions that will lead to its formation.
There are six main requirements for tropical cyclogenesis:
 Sufficiently warm sea surface temperatures. Warm waters are necessary
to fuel the heat engine of the tropical cyclone. The minimum required
temperature must be 26.5ºC.
 Atmospheric instability. An atmosphere which cools fast enough with height
such that it is potentially unstable to moist convection. It is the thunderstorm
activity which allows the heat stored in the ocean waters to be liberated for the
tropical cyclone development.
 High humidity in the lower to middle levels of the troposphere.
 Enough Coriolis force to sustain a low-pressure center. For tropical
cyclogenesis to occur, there is a requirement for non-negligible amounts of
the Coriolis force to provide for near gradient wind balance to occur. Without
the Coriolis force, the low pressure of the disturbance cannot be maintained.

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  A preexisting low-level focus or disturbance. Whether it be a depression in
the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), a tropical wave, a broad surface
front, or an outflow boundary, a low level feature with sufficient vorticity and
convergence is required to begin tropical cyclogenesis. This feature is known
to be a Low Level Circulation Center.
 Low vertical wind shear. Vertical wind shear is the magnitude of wind
change with height. Large values of vertical wind shear disrupt the incipient
tropical cyclone and can prevent genesis, or, if a tropical cyclone has already
formed, large vertical shear can weaken or destroy the tropical cyclone by
interfering with the organization of deep convection around the cyclone
center.

Tropical Cyclone Categories

Stage 1. Tropical Depression
A tropical depression is an organized
system of clouds and thunderstorms with a defined,
closed surface circulation and maximum sustained
winds of less than 64 KPH.
It has no eye and does not typically have the
organization or the spiral shape of more powerful
storms. However, it is already a low-pressure system,
Figure 5. Tropical Depression
hence the name "depression".

Stage 2. Tropical Storm

A tropical storm is an organized system of
strong thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation
and maximum sustained winds between 64 to 118 KPH.
At this point, the distinctive cyclonic shape starts
to develop, although an eye is not usually present.
Government weather services, other than the
Philippines, first assign names to systems that reach this
intensity (thus the term named storm). The convection in
tropical storms is usually more concentrated near the Figure 6. Tropical Storm
center with outer rainfall organizing into distinct bands.
Meanwhile, a Severe Tropical Storm will only be applicable for the
International Warning for Shipping and will not be used for general public
dissemination unlike the other categories.

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Stage 3. Typhoon
A typhoon (sometimes simply referred to as a
tropical cyclone, as opposed to a depression or storm) is
a system with sustained winds of at least 200 KPH.
A cyclone of this intensity tends to develop an
eye, an area of relative calm (and lowest atmospheric
pressure) at the center of circulation. The eye is often
visible in satellite images as a small, circular, cloud-free Figure 7. Typhoon
spot. Surrounding the eye is the eyewall, an area of about 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) to
80 kilometers (50 mi) wide in which the strongest thunderstorms and winds circulate
around the storm's center.

Stage 4. Super typhoon

A super typhoon has maximum sustained winds of
more than 220 kilometers per hour making it powerful and
destructive.

Figure 8. Super typhoon

B. Elaborate

Directions: Analyze the given situation below and answer the questions that follow.

MANILA, Philippines — Tropical Storm Isang intensified

earlier than expected as it continues to move west northwest,
updates from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and
Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) late Friday evening
night showed.

Source: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1476560/isang-intensifies-now-a-tropical-storm#ixzz74QzzedhC

Questions:
1. What makes Isang a Tropical storm?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

2.Can this weather system possibly develop into a typhoon? Justify your answer.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

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 C. Extend

One thing about tropical cyclones that we should watch out for are the
strong winds. Look at the diagram below and you will find out which part you will
experience strong winds.

Dissecting a Tropical Cyclone

EYE

EYE WALL
RAIN BANDS

10 200
960mb 980mb
930mb 990mb

Figure 9. (Top) View of a tropical cyclone at an angle. (Bottom) Cross-section of a

typhoon. Adapted from Science – Grade 8 Learner’s Module,1st Edition, 2013

Inside a Tropical Cyclone

In a tropical cyclone, the lowest air pressure is at the eye of it. In fact, all
tropical cyclones have low air pressure at the center. Here’s the different parts of a
tropical cyclone:
• Eye
- It is a roughly circular area found at the center of a severe tropical
cyclone.
- There is little or no precipitation and sometimes blue sky or stars can
be seen. It is calm in this area.
- It is the region of lowest surface pressure and the warmest
temperature aloft (upper levels)
- Eyes range in size from 8km to over 200km across, but most are
approximately 30-60 km in diameter.

• Eye Wall
- Surrounds the eye of the tropical cyclone.
- The area of highest surface wind.

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 - Eye wall region also sees the maximum sustained winds i.e. fastest
winds in a cyclone occur along the eye wall region.
• Spiral bands
- Convection in the cyclone is organized into long, narrow rain bands
which are oriented in the same direction as the horizontal wind.
- Because these bands seem to spiral into the center of a tropical
cyclone, they are called “spiral bands”

D. Evaluate

Directions: Read each question carefully and choose the letter of the correct
answer.
1. One of the factors necessary for the formation of a tropical cyclone is a warm sea
surface to a certain depth. As a minimum, how warm should the sea surface must
be?
A. 16.5ºC B. 21.5ºC C. 26.5ºC D. 31.5ºC
2. Which of the following conditions DOES NOT contribute to the formation of
typhoon?
A. Warm air C. Warm Ocean surface
B. Moist air D. Cold Ocean surface
3. What causes the formation of low-pressure area that can lead to the development
of a typhoon?
A. cold and dry air
B. cold waters surrounded by warm conditions
C. warm waters surrounded by cold conditions
D. very low moisture or humidity
4. Which of the following is TRUE about the formation of a typhoon?
A. Typhoons require cool ocean waters to develop.
B. Typhoons require warm ocean waters to develop.
C. Typhoons require precipitation to develop.
D. All the above
5. What is the correct sequence for the formation of a typhoon?
I. Warm ocean water heats up the air above causing warm air to rise resulting to
a Low-Pressure Area.
II. The LPA attracts the air in the surroundings.
III. Water vapor soon condenses, and heat is given off causing more air to rise.
IV. As air in the surroundings keep coming in, air starts to spin forming a tropical
cyclone.
A. III, II, I, IV C. I, II, III, IV
B. II, I, III, IV D. none of these

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V. ANSWER KEY
A. Elicit
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

B. Engage
1. Tropical Cyclone/ Typhoon
2. Strong winds, heavy rains (other answers are accepted)
3. Answer may vary

C. Explore
Activity 1. Tropical Cyclone and the Conditions to its Formation
A. Conditions on the Formation of a Tropical Cyclone
1. 26.5ºC
2. Warm ocean water and warm, moist air

B. Process of Tropical Cyclone Formation

1. It rises
2. Warm air
3. It condenses and form clouds
4. Coriolis effect makes the makes the air spin faster and faster
5. It becomes a tropical cyclone
6. Answer may vary

Activity 2. Weak or Strong!

1. When a tropical depression gains more speed and reaches up to 118 kph,
it becomes a tropical storm. When it further develops and gained a
maximum sustained wind of 200 kph, it becomes a typhoon and a super
typhoon when it is greater than 220 kph.

D. Elaborate
1. Its maximum sustained winds that is 65kph
2. Answer may vary

F. Evaluate
1. C 2. D 3. C 4. B 5. C

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VI. REFLECTION

I have learned that

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
I wish to ask my teacher about
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
__
VII.
VII. REFERENCES

Learning Module Science 8. Makati City, Philippines. Private Education

Assistance Committee, 2017

Eresmas, Grace E. Formation of a Typhoon. Science Prototype and Contextualize

Daily Lesson Plan in Grade 8 Quarter II. Department of Education, Region V

“Storm Classifications.” Manila Typhoon Center - Your online resource for typhoon
updates. Accessed August 20, 2021. http://typhoonmanila.weebly.com/storm-
classifications.html.

“Storm Formation.” Manila Typhoon Center - Your online resource for typhoon
updates. Accessed August 20, 2021. http://typhoonmanila.weebly.com/storm-
formation.html.

SMILE LEARNER’S PACKET DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Writer: GRACE E. ESTAYAN

Reviewers: ROWENA C. DE LEON

ERICK F. GAYANES
CHRISTY BLANCA G. LOBERIA
VENJO L. LESANO
JOHN BRYAN M. EVASCO
ERNESTO B. GILE JR.

Layout Artist: APRIL R. GERSALIA

Editor: CHRISTINA GUANIZO

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