DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION REVIEWER

1st SEMESTER – FINALS Topic: Different Types of Hydrometeorological

Hazard
Hydrometeorology
 is the study of the atmospheric and terrestrial
phases of the hydrological cycle with
emphasis on the interrelationship between
them.
 It deals with the transfer of water and energy 1. Cumulus
between land surface and the lower
atmosphere.
they are classified depending of their height appearance and
their corresponding precipitation
LOW CLOUDS: CLOUDS WITH
HEIGHT OF LESS THAN 2KM
 individual dense clouds with sharp outlines,
often develop vertically

2. Stratus
PROCESSES OF HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
 gray cloud layer with a uniform base which
1. Precipitation may (if thick enough) produce
I. Cloud formation and type
II. Rainfall 3. Stratocumulus
III. Associated hazards  gray or whitish sheet or layered clouds with
regularly arranged small cloud elements
2. Formation of snow-covered mountain tops (not
applicable in the Philippines) 4. Cumulonimbus
3. Melting of snow and ice (not applicable in the  the thunderstorm clouds. This is a heavy and
Philippines) dense cloud in the form of a tall tower. The
4. Interception of precipitation by vegetation cover base of the cloud is often dark and produce
5. Storage in land surface depressions precipitation. This cloud type also produces
6. Infiltration of water into soil hail and tornado.
7. Evapotranspiration
8. Recharge of groundwater
9. River runoff
MID CLOUDS: CLOUDS WITH
HEIGHT IN BETWEEN 2KM & 7KM
5. Altocumulus
 a sheet of layered clouds composed of
rounded masses or rolls

6. Nimbostratus
 a dark gray cloud layer covering the sky with
continuous falling rain

7. Altostratus
 gray cloud sheets of fibrous clouds that
totally or partially covers the sky, but thin
enough to reveal the sun

HIGH CLOUDS: CLOUDS WITH

CLOUDS
Clouds HEIGHT GREATER THAN 7KM
 are ubiquitous in our daily lives, so much so
8. Cirrus
that most people don’t pay attention to them
 clouds in the form of white, delicate
anymore.
filaments. They have fibrous and/or silky
 Clouds are essential in the hydrologic cycle
of Earth because their formation and sheen appearance.
movement initiate the transport of water.
9. Cirrostratus
 A cloud is a visible aggregate of small water
 transparent, whitish veil clouds with a
droplets and/or ice particles in the
fibrous appearance
atmosphere above earth’s surface and they
form in the atmosphere as a result of 10. Cirrucumulus
condensation of water vapor rising from the  thin, white sheet or layer of clouds without
surface. shading
10 GENERAL CLOUD TYPES
Nimbus
DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION REVIEWER
1st SEMESTER – FINALS Topic: Different Types of Hydrometeorological
Hazard
 refers to rain producing clouds
TWO GENERAL TYPES OF
RAIN PRODUCING CLOUDS
1. Cumulonimbus
 thunderstorm clouds
2. Nimbostratus
 continuous rain cloud
Clouds are associated with different types of precipitation and
distinguishing between cloud types can give us a glimpse of
an impending hydrometeorological hazard.
HOW IS RAIN MEASURED?
Rain Gauge
 rain gauge is thought to be one of the oldest
weather instruments.
 Rain gauges can be as simple as a cylinder
that catches rain water
 The height of rain water that collects in the
cylinder is the measured amount of rainfall,
usually expressed in millimeters.
TERRESTRIAL PHASE OF THE
HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
 As water returns to the surface of the Earth from
precipitation, it doesn’t just stay in one place,
gravity takes it to the ground either as
infiltration, or it begins running downhill as
surface runoff. Most of this moving water will end
up in streams or rivers flowing towards the ocean.
 Since the Philippines is composed of islands with
complex topography and mountainous regions,
certain processes happen while water flows
through land
Watershed - is a basin-like landform defined by
highpoints and ridgelines that descend into lower
elevations and stream valleys. Water is channeled
into soils, groundwater, creeks and streams
making its way to larger rivers and eventually the
sea.
PROCESSES THAT GOVERN
TERESTIAL WATER FLOW
1. Interception of precipitation by vegetation
cover
I. Before reaching the land surface, a part of
the precipitation may be intercepted by
vegetation and/or other types of surface
cover. A portion of intercepted rainfall
evaporates and the other portion may flow
down on vegetation stems
2. Storage in land surface depressions
I. Detention of a part of precipitation on
depressions. While most waters flow back to
the ocean, some can flow in streams towards
closed lake, or purposely diverted for human
use, and stored there for a time.
3. Infiltration of water into soil
I. Flow of water through soil surface
4. Evapotranspiration
I. Total evaporation from surface water and
plants is referred to as evapotranspiration
5. Recharge of groundwater
I. Water storage in the soil-rock system
6. River runoff
I. Part of the precipitation that flows into
river systems
Infiltration
 is the flow of water through the soil surface.
 The rate of infiltration depends on certain
soil properties like texture, structure and
moisture content. Soil profiles, or the vertical
organization of the different soil layers and
the depth of the soil column, also influence
the hydrologic processes as infiltration rates
will vary with different soil.
Surface Runoff
 is the flow of water over land surfaces.
 The size of the basin or the contributing area
of the rainfall in a basin has a significant
influence on the amount of runoff.
 Consider two similarly shaped basins but one
is larger than the other.
 Runoff starting from a further distance will take a
longer time to reach the outlet of the watershed
than the one starting from a shorter distance. On
the other hand, a single local heavy rainfall event
will affect only a small portion of a big basin.
While this same event can cover the whole of a
small basin, which can lead to severe flooding or a
flash flood. Aside from the size, the shape of a
basin also has influence on the magnitude and
timing of the flow of water along the basin outlet.
Consider two basins of the same size, but one is
round and the other is long and narrow. Consider
water coming from the furthest point in each of the
basins. Water will flow quicker for the round
basin, and water will likely converge in the outlet
DISASTER READINESS AND RISK REDUCTION REVIEWER
1st SEMESTER – FINALS Topic: Different Types of Hydrometeorological
Hazard
at the same time, leading to greater peak flow. The
narrower basin, on the other hand, water from
multiple locations is less likely to arrive at the
same time, resulting to lower peak flow.

Slope
 of the basin is also an important factor to
consider not only for surface runoff but
infiltration as well.
 The steeper the slope, the lower the
infiltration rate because gravity pulls less
water into the land surface