U N D E R S TA N D I N G

TYPHOONS

B Y: Q U E E N N I C O L E G R AC E
B AG U I NAO N
& CLARISSE CABEZA
 OVERVIEW:
•Every year the Philippines is hit by
typhoons. No part of the country is spared.
All province have been visited by a typhoon
at one time or another. In recent years, the
Philippines had been overwhelmed by a
powerful tropical cyclones.
•Who Could forget the terrible flood
brought by Tropical Storm Ondoy in
2009? Or the people swept out to sea
during Tropical Storm Sendong in 2011?
Or the poor community of New
Bataan buried in mud spawned by
Typhoon Pablo in 2012?
• According to Philippine
Atmospheric, Geophysical, and
Astronomical Services
Administration (PAGASA,) about
20 tropical cyclones enter the
Philippine Area of Responsibility
each year.
WHAT IS TYPHOON?
• We all know what a typhoon is, or more
accurately, we know what to expect when a
typhoon comes. We get a lot of rain and strong
winds. Now, you may not have noticed it but
the winds in a typhoon move in a certain
direction.
A SUPER TYPHOON AS SEEN FROM
H I G H A B O V E T H E E A R T H ; AT T H E
The picture shows a super
CENTER IS THE “EYE” OF THE SUPER
TYPHOON.
typhoon as viewed from
up above the Earth. The
cloud is arrange in spiral
means they are being
blown by winds in a
counter-clockwise
direction. In a super
typhoon, the wind speed is
greater than 200
kilometers per hour (kph).
•If the wind speed is less, from 119 to 200
kph, then it is called a typhoon.
•If the wind is between 65 and 118 kph, it
is called a tropical storm.
•And when the wind speed is between 35
to 64 kph, it is a tropical depression.
 TROPICAL CYCLONE
Maximum Wind
•Categories of Category Speed kilometers
per hour (kph)
Tropical Cyclones: Tropical 64
Depression
Tropical Depression Tropical Storm 118
Tropical Storm Typhoon 200
Typhoon
Supertyphoon Greater than 200
Super Typhoon
• Tropical Cyclone- A system of thunderstorms that are moving around a
center.
As the winds intensify or weaken, the category is upgraded or
downgraded accordingly.
The term Typhoon is used only in he northwestern part of the pacific
ocean. In the northeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and in the Northern
part of the Atlantic Ocean.
The equivalent term is hurricane. Thus, a hurricane 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 tropical depression, a tropical storm
or a typhoon.
PHILIPPINE AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

When a weather disturbance enters the

Philippines Area of Responsibility (PAR),
the weather bureau begins to monitor it.
Do you know where the PAR is?
Do the following activity to find out.
ACTIVITY 1
PLOTTING THE PAR
• Objectives:
After performing this activity, you should be able yo:
1. Read map,
2. Given the latitude and longitude of a tropical cyclone, tell
if it has entered the Philippines Area of Responsibility, and
3. Explain what is meant when a typhoon has entered the
Philippine Area of Responsibility.
•Question 1
If a typhoon is located at 15°N,
138°E, is it within the PAR?
•Question 2
How about if the typhoon is at
19°N, 117°E, is it inside the PAR?